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Magister Legum - LLM

This thesis analyzes the technical definition of the crime of persecution for the purpose of prosecutions at the International Criminal Court. The provisions on the crime of persecution are found in Article 7(1)(h) and Article 7(2)(g) of the Rome Statute and Article 7(1)(h) of the Elements of Crimes. Lack of clarity is a difficulty with these provisions. The writer analyzes the provisions by pooling together primary and secondary sources and drawing on the customary international law that has emerged from the ad-hoc International Criminal Tribunals established between 1945 and 2003.

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Magister Legum - LLM / This research analyzes Truth Justice and Reconciliation Mechanisms and Amnesties in the light of the Rome Statute to the International Criminal Court (ICC). The research looks strictly into the legal terms of the Rome Statute in order to see if their interpretation indicates that the Court is meant to ‘complement1’ such forms of justice mechanisms, especially when they are accompanied by amnesties. / South Africa

Magister Legum - LLM / The new Kenyan constitution has introduced an immediate monist approach of implementing international legal standards. Accordingly, the transformation from dual to monism will necessitate a discussion of theories of incorporation of international instruments into national laws. This will set the basis of what method Kenya should follow. This paper attempts to address potential procedural problems with implementing the Rome Statute in a new monist Kenya and will argue that as a precautionary measure during the country’s transition any deviation, by the court, from national law will require articulation and justification under an international framework. It will include a review of the Kenyan International Crimes Act 2003 (ICA) and its adoption into the domestic law of Kenya. It will also include examination of previous situations where domestic courts have applied international law standards in domestic trials before and after the monist Constitution of 2010. This paper aims at assessing the key challenges to the effective implementation of the Rome Statute in Kenya both objectively and substantively. It examines the challenges facing the Kenyan courts in relation to the exercise of universal jurisdiction and the criminalization of international crimes. It will seek to point out the weaknesses and conflict between the Kenyan constitution, The International Crimes Act and the Rome Statute. The ICA was silent on some aspects of the Rome Statute and the paper will attempt to discuss these issues and what they portend in the implementation of the Rome statute in monism. It will also discuss the effect of the new constitution on the practical operation of the Rome Statue. The operational capacity of institutions mandated with practical implementation of the Rome Statute will be examined. It will further seek to ascertain whether the laws and policies reflect Kenya’s commitment to international criminal justice. By way of conclusion, the paper will create a possible inventory of issues, which might arise in Kenya’s prosecution of International crimes under the Rome Statute, and suggestions on how such issues could best be addressed.

Magister Legum - LLM

THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT AND THE HEAD OF THE STATE IMMUNITY The thesis deals with the institute of immunities of the head of the state recognized under the international law and with its applicability before the International Criminal Court (hereinafter referred to as "ICC"). The aim of this thesis is to analyze the conflict between two international legal rules which is the obligation to prosecute and punish perpetrators of crimes under the international law, irrespective of the status of the offender, and the exclusion of heads of the state from the criminal jurisdiction because of the immunity that protects its bearer. According to the Rome Statute (hereinafter referred to as "Statute") which established the ICC its contractual party is obliged to surrender any accused person to the Court even if this person enjoys immunity. However another provision of the Statute says that the request for this surrender could be refused by the party if it broke an obligation which this party has against the state whose national is the accused person. The first chapter outlines the formation and the functioning of the Court. Subsequently, the work deals with theoretical terms such as the head of state, the individual responsibility or the immunity. It provides with the types of immunities a person could enjoy...

The International Criminal Court (ICC) is a permanent court created by the Rome Statute to prosecute persons for the most grievous crimes of human rights: war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity. Based on the very idea that the protection of a set of universal human rights is the responsibility of the international community as a whole, the ICC today, however, finds itself uncertain about its future. Most notably, a number of non-signatory states, including traditionally major players in international politics such as the United States, China, and India, have been adamant against joining the Court because of their perception of potential indictment. When the leaders of these states seek to predict the possibility of an indictment, they have reason to believe that the current criteria for indictment used by the ICC judges are likely to lead to a situation in which national judicial independence and personal security of high-profile officials and other state actors including soldiers are unreasonably challenged. This thesis argues that, while some criteria used by the ICC judges can be inferred from previous judgements, these criteria do not constitute the sum total of the criteria for decision-making in the ICC and thus do not form an essential incentive for major outliers to join the Court. This thesis offers three solutions, focusing on the refinement of the Rome Statute, structural changes to the Court, and the elimination of the crime of aggression from the Statute.

This research aims to analyze the relationship between non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the establishment of the International Criminal Court (ICC). To understand the making of the ICC and the role of NGOs in its making is the intention behind this research project. It is for this reason that this thesis begins with a detailed examination of the emerging roles of NGOs in international relations. Subsequently, the background of ICC’s making is mentioned. It is divided into two parts, including participation of states and participation of NGOs. Regarding participation of NGOs in the making of the ICC, NGO Coalition for the ICC (CICC) plays a crucial role in this campaign. In summary, the lessons learned from CICC can be concluded as follows: - setting and controlling the international political agenda - gathering and analyzing information quickly - using the media as a means of dissemination - increasing communications with States - coordinating information and strategy - reducing coalition-building costs - monitoring and implementing international law The creation of the ICC can be seen as a multilateral mechanism for concerted international human security efforts. If we can apply the lessons that CICC have learned, then many more successful campaigns will be expected soon.