Title of the dissertation: The Rome Statute's Crime of Aggression following the Kampala Review Conference The definition of crime of aggression was adopted in 2010 to fill the gap in article 5 (2) of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court ("ICC"). Complicated discussions preceding the adoption have identified many problematic aspects within the definition, including the relationship between the ICC and the UN Security Council ("SC") - whether the SC would be the only body capable to commence proceedings for the crime of aggression or not; further including the legal status of humanitarian intervention for the purposes of its criminalization under the Rome Statute; position of a perpetrator of the crime - should only leaders be considered perpetrators or should "lower" state officials be included; how should the amendment enter into force - under article 121 (4) or 121 (5) of the Rome Statute; etc. Many of these questions have not been answered by the adopted definition in a satisfactory way and so while the international community was celebrating the success of the adoption of the "supreme crime's" definition, many (including the author of this dissertation) have been seriously disappointed by the short-comings of the adopted text. Scholars continue to better understand the...

1 Victims of the Gravest Crimes: The Role of Victims in Legal Proceedings Before the International Criminal Court Abstract This thesis analyzes the role of victims in the proceedings before the International Criminal Court, or the so-called victims' mandate of the ICC. The purpose is to comprehensively introduce their rights as well as the way in which this regulation is being applied. Therefore, the research question has two parts. The first part inquires into the current design of the victim's rights before the Court, while the second asks about the results of its application to the present day. Answers offered by the author of the thesis appear respectively in the second and the third chapter. The first chapter is focused on a historical development of the position of victims in the system of international criminal justice. It is of introductory nature and serves to highlight the historically unprecedented character of the role of victims before the ICC. Regarding the research method, the thesis analyzes the role of victims of crimes prosecuted by the ICC from both, theoretical as well as empirical angle. The purpose is to practically and comprehensively describe the regulation of victims before the ICC but also go beyond the "letter of the law" to see the legal regulation within its material context -...

This thesis argues that the International Criminal Court (ICC) brings a new more deontological paradigm to international interventions, founded upon the universal application of legal principle, and displacing consequentialist notions of justice linked to human rights. Based upon the Court’s Statute and mode of operations, it is argued that this is associated with assumptions concerning the ICC’s primacy, military enforcement, and theory of change. The consequences of this development in volatile contexts are demonstrated. The case study, founded upon analysis from the war-affected community, examines the impact of the International Criminal Court in the Lord’s Resistance Army war, and reveals the relationship between criminal justice enforcement, and community priorities for peace and human rights. On the basis of evidence, and contrary to narratives repeated but unsubstantiated in the literature, it demonstrates that in this case these two imperatives were in opposition to one another. The Court’s pursuit of retributive legal principle was detrimental to the community’s interests in peace and human rights. The subsequent failure of the ICC’s review process to interrogate this important issue is also established. The research establishes that statutory and operational assumptions upon which Court interventions are based do not hold in volatile contexts. For the case study community and elsewhere, this has had adverse impacts, with significant implications for the ICC. The findings indicate that if these issues are not fundamentally addressed, principled international criminal justice enforcement in volatile environments will continue to have profoundly negative human rights consequences.

With its national strength, the United States is, more often than not, a major State initiating the making of important international multilateral treaties and shaping the final outcome by wielding its influence in the negotiation processes. Nevertheless, three major international multilateral treaties concluded in three different domains all appear the same situation in which the U.S. participated actively in the negotiations but ended up rejecting to sign or ratify due to their inconformities with American ¡§national interests.¡¨ The purpose of this thesis is to examine the American proposals and interventions made in the negotiating processes of three important international multilateral treaties, i.e., the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, Kyoto Protocol and Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, so as to understand American negotiation stances as well as the issues to which the U.S. attached importance to and the derive the substantive contents of the ¡§national interests¡¨ that the U.S. held dear. Furthermore, this thesis takes one step further to analyze who were the actors that shaped and defined the ¡§national interests¡¨ which the U.S. valued and held tight.

Resumo: O objetivo desta pesquisa reside na análise dos motivos que explicam a criação do Tribunal Penal Internacional ter ocorrido apenas na década de 1990, precisamente em 1998, sendo que desde o início do século XX já existiam propostas para instauração de uma organização internacional semelhante a essa. Para tanto, são analisados, inicialmente, as origens do processo de internacionalização dos direitos humanos e os antecedentes, tanto institucionais quanto sob a perspectiva dos princípios jurídicos, do Tribunal Penal Internacional. Considerando que as Nações Unidas só voltaram a deliberar sobre este projeto após o término da Guerra Fria, são investigados, também, de que maneira o encerramento desse peculiar conflito, bem como as suas repercussões no âmbito das relações internacionais, influenciaram na retomada e no desenvolvimento das negociações sobre a proposta do Tribunal. Esclarecidos esses motivos, procede-se a uma análise sobre as três fases que compuseram o processo político para a elaboração do Estatuto do Tribunal e culminaram na instauração dessa corte internacional: a inicial, no âmbito da Comissão de Direito Internacional; a intermediária, coordenada pelo Comitê Preparatório, e a final, ocorrida na Conferência de Roma. Encerra-se esta pesquisa discutindo-se os aspectos mais atuais acerca do Tribunal Penal Internacional e os limites da sua criação / Abstract: This research intends to explain the reasons why the International Criminal Court establishment took place just in the nineties, precisely in 1998, but since the begin of the twentieth century there were already proposals for the creation of a international organization like this. In order to accomplish this objective, are analyzed, initially, the origins of the human rights internalization process, and the background, both institutional and from the perspective of legal principals, to the International Criminal Court. Considering that the United Nations just come back to deliberate about this project after the end of the Cold War, are investigated, furthermore, how the end of this particular conflict, including its consequences in the international relations, influenced the resume and the development of the negotiations about the Court proposal. Clarified these reasons, the research is developed with the analysis of the three phases that made up the political process for the elaboration of the Court Statute, and that culminated in the establishment of the International Criminal Court: the first within the International Law Commission, the intermediate, coordinated by the Preparatory Committee, and the final, held at the Rome Conference. This research is concluded by discussing the most current aspects regarding the International Criminal Court and the limits of its creation / Orientador: Samuel Alves Soares / Coorientador: Héctor Luis Saint-Pierre / Banca: Paulo César de Sousa Manduca / Banca: Suzeley Kalil Mathias / Mestre

The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court is a major landmark in the development of international accountability. Its preamble affirms “that the most serious crimes of concern to the international community as a whole must not go unpunished and that their effective prosecution must be ensured by taking measures at the national level and by enhancing international cooperation”. Thus the signatory states were “determined to put an end to impunity for the perpetrators of these crimes and thus to contribute to the prevention of such crimes”. The ICC contributes to the fight against impunity and the establishment of the rule of law by punishing violations of international legal norms. Accountability is important for the past and the future of societies. The ICC needs the support and cooperation of the states to effectively perform its mandate. So without ratification and implementation of the Rome Statute the ICC will not have jurisdiction over non-member states, unless referred by the UN Security Council. The Rome Statute does not only create the ICC but it also creates the national jurisdiction of its States Parties as these states have the primary responsibility to investigate and prosecute Rome Statute crimes. With only five Arab states to date being State Parties to the Rome Statute, it is obvious that the region is underrepresented at the ICC. Despite their positive role played in the creation of the ICC, not ratifying the Rome Statute raises several questions, especially that the majority of states that voted against the Statute were from the Arab region. Ratifying and implementing the Rome Statute will strengthen the Arab states criminal justice system, enabling them to prosecute international crimes domestically and will deter any individual from committing them in the future, regardless his official position. It will also allow the Arab states to have the primary jurisdiction over international crimes and reinforces the entire judicial system. This research will examine the issue of ratification and implementation of the Rome Statute by the Arab states by analysing the reasons, challenges and obstacles of the Arab states for not becoming part of the international criminal justice system.

Submitted by Gisely Teixeira (gisely.teixeira@uniceub.br) on 2016-11-29T17:55:07Z No. of bitstreams: 1 60000235.pdf: 1025971 bytes, checksum: afd8c22d9502ae9a01133d590597ecdc (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Rayanne Silva (rayanne.silva@uniceub.br) on 2016-12-12T23:04:30Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 60000235.pdf: 1025971 bytes, checksum: afd8c22d9502ae9a01133d590597ecdc (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-12-12T23:04:30Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 60000235.pdf: 1025971 bytes, checksum: afd8c22d9502ae9a01133d590597ecdc (MD5) Previous issue date: 2005 / Trata-se de dissertação de mestrado que tem por objetivo examinar o Tribunal Penal Internacional, a partir da afirmação contemporânea de uma ideia clássica para que se possa debatê-lo, academicamente, à luz de sua recepção na Constituição brasileira de 1988. Para tanto, após definido o âmbito de aplicação do tema deste trabalho, o Direito Penal Internacional, são apresentados e discutidos os antecedentes do TPI: manifestações anteriores e posteriores à Segunda Guerra Mundial, os Tribunais Militares Internacionais de Nuremberg, e para o Extremo Oriente, a atuação da jurisdição penal dos Estados durante a Segunda Guerra Mundial, o período pós-Segunda Guerra Mundial até a década de 80, os Tribunais Penais Internacionais para a ex-Iugoslávia e para Ruanda, bem como o debate transcultural dos Direitos Humanos e a Conferência de Viena de 1993. Prosseguindo-se, examina-se o TPI em face do Estatuto de Roma para tratar, entre outros assuntos, de sua competência, composição, administração e o Ministério Público. Após, debate-se a recepção do TPI na Constituição brasileira de 1988, mediante a análise do processo de ratificação e de aprovação do Estatuto de Roma no ordenamento constitucional brasileiro, do mecanismo de entrega de nacionais ao TPI, da pena perpétua e da imprescritibilidade dos crimes de competência do TPI e do anteprojeto de lei que define os crimes contra a humanidade, crimes de guerra e crimes contra a administração da justiça do Tribunal Penal Internacional e dispõe sobre o crime de genocídio e sobre a cooperação com o TPI. Finalmente, analisa-se a Emenda Constitucional nº 45, de 8 de dezembro de 2004, com vigência a partir de 31 de dezembro, tendo em vista a inserção de importantes e inéditos tópicos sobre o TPI no ordenamento constitucional brasileiro.

La quête d’une réponse à l’impunité des crimes internationaux a connu un pas de géant avec l’adoption par un grand nombre d’États du Statut de Rome créant la Cour pénale internationale. Néanmoins, toujours jaloux de leur souveraineté, ces États ont fait de cette dernière une juridiction complémentaire. Cette Cour n’agit que lorsque des crimes relevant de sa compétence, commis par de hautes autorités, ne font pas l’objet d’enquêtes ou poursuites sérieuses sur le plan national. Mais aussi, dans une approche proactive de sa complémentarité, elle est appelée à catalyser l’organisation des enquêtes ou poursuites au niveau national en assistant ou en encourageant les instances nationales. Cette complémentarité de la CPI par rapport aux systèmes judiciaires nationaux constitue le seul moyen par lequel cette cour lutte contre l’impunité des crimes internationaux. Cependant, au lieu de constituer un remède à l’impunité, la mise en œuvre de ce principe et la manière dont il est libellé dans le Statut de Rome, en serait plutôt, dans la plupart des cas, la source. Pour étayer ces propos, cette étude met en exergue la politisation et l’instrumentalisation qui entachent la mise en œuvre de ce principe ainsi que l’exploitation insuffisante de la complémentarité positive. Après avoir interrogé l’évolution de la justice pénale internationale pour dégager son caractère complémentaire, ce mémoire décortique le sens et la portée du principe de complémentarité. Il vérifie ensuite notre hypothèse par l’analyse de la mise en œuvre de ce principe dans les situations en Côte d’Ivoire et en Libye. Au final, il suggère la révision de la base juridique de ce principe et l’optimisation de la complémentarité positive comme véritable rempart contre l’impunité des crimes internationaux les plus graves. / Many States have ratified the Rome Statute establishing the International Criminal Court (ICC). In response to the issue of international crimes which usually go unpunished, this represents a giant step forward. However, by exercising much of their sovereignty, these States have made the ICC a supplementary jurisdiction which only acts when crimes within its jurisdiction committed by high authorities, are not subject to serious investigations or prosecutions at the national levels. As a proactive approach to its complementarity, it is required to catalyze the organization of investigations or prosecutions at the national levels by assisting or encouraging local authorities. This complementarity of the ICC to the national judiciary systems constitutes the only way this court has available to fight against international crimes impunity. However, the implementation of this principle and the way it is worded in the Rome Statute, constitute, in most cases, the source of impunity rather than its remedy. In order to do so, this study first highlights the politicization and instrumentalisation that plagued the implementation of this principle and the insufficient exploration of positive complementarity. It secondly gives an overview of the evolution of international criminal justice stressing its complementary nature. The meaning and scope of the principle of complementarity will be then scrutinized which will allow for testing our hypothesis; taking Ivory Coast’s and Libya’s contexts as cases in point. In light of the results, suggestions in terms of revisions of the legal basis of this principle and the optimization of positive complementarity as a true weapon against impunity of such unheard of crimes are discussed.

This thesis attempts to address perennial concerns, mostly raised in some quarters in Africa, pertaining to the development of the complementarity regime established by the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. It grapples with a very important question, whether the principle of complementarity, embodied in article 17 of the Rome Statute, was formulated and is being applied by the ICC in a manner that upholds the ideals and theories upon which the regime was founded. The principle of complementarity is designed to mediate the imperatives of State sovereignty and a legitimate international criminal justice system. Essentially, complementarity gives States latitude to try genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and aggression nationally, with the ICC only intervening where States are either unable or unwilling to prosecute genuinely. Africa constitutes the biggest regional block of membership to the Rome Statute, however, over the years; support for the ICC on the African continent has waned. It has been argued in some quarters that the ICC is anti-African and that it has interpreted and applied complementarity in a manner that diminishes State sovereignty. The thesis argues that this tension may also be due to textual deficiencies inherent within the Rome Statute, in the provisions that embody this principle. It therefore examines complementarity from a theoretical perspective to provide a comprehensive account of the system contemplated by the drafters of the Rome Statute. In this regard, the thesis argues for expansion of States’ ability at the national level to deal with international crimes without compromising international criminal justice processes or threatening State sovereignty. This is suggested as a way of relieving the tension that has characterised the relationship between African States and the ICC. The thesis further sketches out some of the complexities inherent in the modalities through which the Court may exercise its complementary jurisdiction, particularly within the African continent, given that legal systems in most African countries are particularly weak. It thus dissects the provisions that outline the principle of complementarity in tandem with the Court’s interpretation and application of complementarity in practice. Furthermore, through an exploratory survey of the referral of the Situation in Uganda, and the ICC Prosecutor’s proprio motu investigation of the Situation in Kenya, the thesis illustrates how a positive approach to complementarity can help establish a healthy cooperative synergy between the ICC and States, thereby promoting a functional expeditious criminal justice system. This will go a long way towards assuaging State’s fears that the ICC merely pays lip service to complementarity and arbitrarily supersedes national jurisdiction.

"With the entry into force of the Rome Statute in July 2002 and the election of judges and prosecutors of the Court in 2003, there is need for states parties to the Rome Statute to enact laws to incorporate the crimes defined in the treaty. Currently, 92 states are parties to the treaty. The success of the ICC will depend not only on widespread ratification of the Rome Statute, but also on states parties' compliance with obligations under the treaty. For almost every state this will require some change in national law in accordance with existing laws and proceedings in a given legal system. The experience of most states parties to the treaty is that the Rome Statute will require some form of domestic implementing legislation, even if this is not the normal practice of the state. There is need for co-operation between the Court and state parties on the administration of justice. For the Court to function properly, the immunity of its personnel should be guaranteed and provisions in national constitutions that are incompatible with the Rome Statute should be amended to bring them in conformity with the provisions of the treaty. ... Thus far, South Africa is the only African country that has adopted an implementing legislation domesticating the Rome Statute. Other African countries such as Congo, DRC, Ghana, Nigeria and Senegal have draft bills. There is, therefore, the need for African countries that are state parties to the treaty to positiviely confront the above challnges while incorporating the provisions of the Rome Statute into national law. ... The first chapter is an introduciton. It sketches the background of the study and reviews the materials that will be used for the study. It focuses on several hypothesis and research questions that the study is set out to answer. It highlights the dearth of materials on the implementation of the Rome Statute in Africa. The second chapter analyses the ICC and the emerging international legal system. It discusses the complementarity principle of the Rome Statute and analysis the crimes under the jurisdiction of the Court. The effect of the bilateral immunity agreements signed by states parties to the Rome Statute with the United States of America is also highlighted. The third chapter deals with the ICC and indernational approaches to the implementation of the Rome Statute. This involves discussions on compatibility of the Rome Statute with national constitutions. Approaches adopted by states with regards to specific issues of implementation will also come into focus, followed by discussions on the amendment of constitutions and purposive interpretation as adopted by various states parties to the Rome Statute. The fourth chapter will discuss implications of the Rome Statute for domestic constitutions in Africa. The discussion will focus on immunity from prosecution granted to heads of state and government by constitutions, the surrender of persons to the ICC and sentencing of persons convicted by the Court with regards to their relationship in the implementation of the Rome Statute in Africa. The fifth chapter will be a comparative analysis of impelementation strategies adopted by South Africa, Nigeria and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). There will be an analysis of the relationship between the Rome Statute and African human right system. The last chapter is the conclusion with recommendations and arguments on the need for a comprehensive domestic implementation strategy of the Rome Statute in Africa." -- Introduction. / Thesis (LLM (Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa)) -- University of Pretoria, 2003. / Prepared under the supervision of Professor Lovell Fernandez at the Faculty of Law, University of the Western Cape / http://www.chr.up.ac.za/academic_pro/llm1/dissertations.html / Centre for Human Rights / LLM