Magister Legum - LLM / Even though sexual violence has always been a part and parcel of conflicts and atrocities throughout the ages, it never found any interpretation by subsequent tribunals who were responsible for prosecuting offenders.The case of The Prosecutor v Jean-Paul Akayesu was the first of its kind to give jurisprudential recognition and interpretation to sexual violence as war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide respectively. This case was important for the following reasons:1. It acknowledged that sexual violence can amount to an act of genocide; 2. It acknowledged that sexual violence can amount to a crime against humanity; and 3. It was the first case to define rape within an international context.Following the case of The Prosecutor v Jean-Paul Akayesu many tribunals gave recognition to the extent of which sexual violence takes place during atrocities by correctly convicting accused for either participating in sexual violence or aiding and abetting to sexual violence. Amidst the various interpretations on what constitutes sexual violence and how it is defined, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and the Special Court for Sierra Leone all either conceptualised sexual violence as genocide, war crimes or/ and crimes against humanity.At the same time, the development of sexual violence as either a crime against humanity or a war crime did not end with the courts. The case of The Prosecutor v Jean-Paul Akayesu sparked a fire in the international community, which led to it paying more attention to the place of sexual violence in treaty law. Taking into account that rape is listed as a crime against humanity in both the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda statutes, the Special Court for Sierra Leone and the International Criminal Court statutes both list more than one form of sexual violence as a crime against humanity. It is interesting to note that the latter two treaty developments took place only after the International Criminal Tribunal conceptualised sexual violence as a crime against humanity.Thus apart from merely listing rape as a crime against humanity, the Statute establishing the Special Court for Sierra Leone, states in article 2(g) that sexual slavery, enforced prostitution, forced pregnancy and any other form of sexual violence constitutes a crime against humanity. The Statute establishing the International Criminal Court states in article 7(1)(g) that rape, sexual slavery, enforced prostitution, forced pregnancy, enforced sterilisation or any other form of sexual violence of comparable gravity constitutes a crime against humanity. The interpretation of these acts is further guided by the ‘Elements of Crimes’ which are annexed to the International Criminal Court statute.Once again it is interesting to note that the ‘Elements of Crimes’ for these acts are similar to how the International Criminal Tribunals (both the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda tribunals) conceptualised various acts of sexual violence.On the other hand, the definition of genocide remained the same as it was defined in the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide of 1948. This definition does not expressly mention any form of sexual violence as a form of genocide.However, once again, the trial chamber in the case of The Prosecutor v Jean-Paul Akayesu set the benchmark for sexual violence to constitute a form of genocide by way of interpretation. The definition of genocide did not subsequently change in the Statute establishing the International Criminal Court.Based on these premises, this thesis attempts to investigate the similarities and differences in sexual violence as a form of both genocide and a crime against humanity,by addressing the following question:What are the essential and practical differences between sexual violence as crimes against humanity and genocide and what is the legal effect of the differences, should there be any? Chapter 1 highlights the historical overview and developments of sexual violence as genocide and crimes against humanity, while chapter 2 investigates how sexual violence can amount to a form of genocide. Chapter 3 assesses the advances made in sexual violence as a crime against humanity, while chapter 4 importantly draws a comparative analysis between sexual violence as genocide and a crime against humanity. Chapter 4 draws this comparison by weighing up four differences and four similarities in sexual violence as genocide and a crime against humanity.Chapter 5 highlights the conclusion and provides an answer for the research question that is posed above. Here it is concluded that even though there exist multiple differences in sexual violence as crimes against humanity and genocide, there are also multiple similarities which could possibly amount to a better chance for conviction of an accused under a crime against humanity than genocide. Chapter 5 also provide possible recommendations for the consequences that might flow should sexual violence as a crime against humanity be fairly similar to sexual violence as genocide.

[pt] A tese objetiva examinar a responsabilidade internacional do Estado brasileiro pelos crimes perpetrados por agentes estatais, no contexto do regime militar (1964-1985), a partir da jurisprudência da Corte Interamericana de Direitos Humanos (Corte IDH). A análise considerará os precedentes normativos e jurisdicionais que embasaram as condenações do Estado brasileiro nos casos Julia Gomes Lund e outros vs. Brasil (2010) e Vladimir Herzog e outros vs. Brasil (2018). Em um primeiro momento, vislumbra-se apresentar o cenário de emergência das normativas internacionais relacionadas à responsabilidade penal dos indivíduos e à responsabilidade dos Estados. Uma vez apresentado o panorama normativo global, será elencado o case law da Corte IDH referente às graves violações de direitos humanos perpetradas, de modo sistemático e massivo, por meio dos aparatos burocráticos de poder estatais. Conforme será aventado, apenas em casos específicos, a Corte IDH utiliza conceitos atinentes ao direito penal internacional como base interpretativa das obrigações consubstanciadas na Convenção Americana de Direitos Humanos, construindo um verdadeiro diálogo entre esse ramo do direito e a normativa dos direitos humanos. Finalmente, a pesquisa se concentrará nos supracitados julgados, separados por quase uma década, mas que possuem em comum o contexto no qual os fatos dos casos ocorreram. Destacadamente, o caso Herzog traz em seu bojo a qualificação dos crimes contra a humanidade – um passo significativo, em relação ao caso Gomes Lund, para ativistas e operadores do direito no âmbito doméstico. Sob esse viés, o presente trabalho pretende investigar em que medida o enquadramento dos crimes contra a humanidade possui o condão de fortalecer as iniciativas em prol da responsabilidade criminal dos agentes do regime ditatorial e de ensejar a contestação de estruturas e práticas repressivas ainda vigentes.A tese objetiva examinar a responsabilidade internacional do Estado brasileiro pelos crimes perpetrados por agentes estatais, no contexto do regime militar (1964-1985), a partir da jurisprudência da Corte Interamericana de Direitos Humanos (Corte IDH). A análise considerará os precedentes normativos e jurisdicionais que embasaram as condenações do Estado brasileiro nos casos Julia Gomes Lund e outros vs. Brasil (2010) e Vladimir Herzog e outros vs. Brasil (2018). Em um primeiro momento, vislumbra-se apresentar o cenário de emergência das normativas internacionais relacionadas à responsabilidade penal dos indivíduos e à responsabilidade dos Estados. Uma vez apresentado o panorama normativo global, será elencado o case law da Corte IDH referente às graves violações de direitos humanos perpetradas, de modo sistemático e massivo, por meio dos aparatos burocráticos de poder estatais. Conforme será aventado, apenas em casos específicos, a Corte IDH utiliza conceitos atinentes ao direito penal internacional como base interpretativa das obrigações consubstanciadas na Convenção Americana de Direitos Humanos, construindo um verdadeiro diálogo entre esse ramo do direito e a normativa dos direitos humanos. Finalmente, a pesquisa se concentrará nos supracitados julgados, separados por quase uma década, mas que possuem em comum o contexto no qual os fatos dos casos ocorreram. Destacadamente, o caso Herzog traz em seu bojo a qualificação dos crimes contra a humanidade – um passo significativo, em relação ao caso Gomes Lund, para ativistas e operadores do direito no âmbito doméstico. Sob esse viés, o presente trabalho pretende investigar em que medida o enquadramento dos crimes contra a humanidade possui o condão de fortalecer as iniciativas em prol da responsabilidade criminal dos agentes do regime ditatorial e de ensejar a contestação de estruturas e práticas repressivas ainda vigentes. / [en] The thesis aims to analyze the international responsibility of the Brazilian State for crimes perpetrated by State agents, in the context of the military regime (1964-1985), based on the jurisprudence of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACourtHR). The analysis will consider the normative and jurisdictional cases that served as precedents to the Brazilian State s convictions in the cases Julia Gomes Lund et al. vs. Brazil (2010) and Vladimir Herzog et al. vs. Brazil (2018). Initially, will be presented the emergency scenario of international regulations related to the criminal responsibility of individuals and the responsibility of States. Once the global normative panorama is presented, will be introduced the case law of the Inter-American Court regarding the serious violations of human rights perpetrated, in a systematic and massive way, through the bureaucratic apparatus of State power. As will be explained, only in specific cases, the Inter-American Court uses concepts of international criminal law as an interpretive basis for the obligations embodied in the American Convention of Human Rights, building a dialogue between this area of Law and the human rights normative. Finally, the research will focus on the aforementioned judgments, separated by almost a decade, but which share the context in which the facts of the cases occurred. Notably, the Herzog s case considers the qualification of crimes against humanity – a significant step, in relation to the Gomes Lund s case, for activists and legal practitioners in the domestic sphere. Under this bias, the present work intends to investigate to what extent the framing of crimes against humanity has the power to strengthen initiatives in favor of the criminal responsibility of the agents of the dictatorial regime and the contestation of repressive structures and practices still valid.

In the perilous waters of the Mediterranean Sea, migrants find themselves facing limited choices when in distress. Their options are stark: either to rely on the lifesaving efforts of Non- Governmental Organisations (NGO) aid workers conducting Search and Rescue (SAR) Operations, to be intercepted by the Libyan Coast Guard (LCG) and subsequently detained in Libya where their human rights are gravely violated, or to face the tragic fate of perishing at sea. Unfortunately, the criminalisation of SAR Operations, spearheaded by NGO aid workers, hinders the rescue of migrants, thereby exacerbating the risks they face and leaving them vulnerable to interception by the LCG. This interception, as argued in this thesis, inevitably leads to the perpetration of Crimes Against Humanity (CAH) against these vulnerable migrants. This thesis sheds light on the issue of Italy’s increasing criminalisation and vilification of humanitarian aid workers engaged in SAR missions in the Mediterranean Sea. It critically examines the consequences of such criminalisation on the lives and rights of migrants, exploring the complex dynamics between SAR Operations, interception by the LCG, and the commission of CAH. Drawing upon a comprehensive lens of interpretation that integrates legal analysis, human rights principles, and the international legal framework, this study concludes that criminalisation of SAR operations is indeed a contributing factor towards the CAH faced by migrants in Libya. Moreover, it identifies the potential liability of Italian State Officials (ISO) at the International Criminal Court (ICC) for their role in enacting legislations that effectively criminalises SAR operations.

in English Dissertation Thesis David Kohout: Legal-Historical Aspects of Punishment of Nazi Criminals on the Background of the Adolf Eichmann Trial This Dissertation on the topic of "Legal-Historical Aspects of Punishment of Nazi Criminals on the Background of the Adolf Eichmann Trial" seeks to analyze the main approaches to the prosecution and punishment of the Nazi crimes. It was chosen to use the trial of Adolf Eichmann in Jerusalem in years 1961 - 1962 as a connecting thread of this whole work. It was so not only due to the individual remarkableness of the trial but also due to the fact that it was in many ways a very illustrative for the previous legal development until that time. Additionally, many commentators of this trial attribute it a great impact on the renewal of the interest in the prosecution of former Nazis who were implicated in perpetration of crimes committed until 1945 and who remained at large after the end of war. Therefore this Thesis goes beyond the Eichmann trial and focuses on its broader context in material but also personal sense (in the text it often referred to cases of prosecution of close collaborators of Adolf Eichmann). In the opening chapters this Dissertation, however, starts with events that go far back in time before the Adolf Eichmann trial. This is for the...

Cette thèse a pour objet d’examiner les tribunaux ad hoc en analysant leur définition en droit international public, leurs principes juridiques fondateurs, leur compétence face aux crimes internationaux et leurs objectifs pour déterminer s’il existe un statut international commun pour ces tribunaux. La mise en œuvre des premiers tribunaux ad hoc sur la scène internationale après la Seconde Guerre mondiale, les TMI de Nuremberg et de Tokyo, était due à l’incapacité ou à l’absence de volonté du système judiciaire interne des pays intéressés pour traduire en justice les auteurs des crimes de guerre. Par la suite, neuf tribunaux ad hoc ont été créés (soit unilatéralement par le Conseil de sécurité, soit par un accord international) en vue de juger les crimes internationaux les plus monstrueux, tels que les crimes de génocide, les crimes contre l’humanité et les crimes de guerre. Nous pouvons dire à cet égard que les tribunaux ad hoc bénéficient de tous les mécanismes nécessaires pour être efficaces, comme la responsabilité pénale individuelle, la primauté sur les juridictions nationales et l'obligation des Etats de coopérer, et ils ont réussi à satisfaire l'objectif de justice. Toutefois, ces tribunaux s'étaient vu attribuer, outre leur fonction naturelle d'assurer la justice, un objectif supplémentaire, à savoir la réalisation de la paix et de la sécurité internationales, objectif qu'ils n'ont pu réaliser, car un organe juridique ne peut pas atteindre un objectif dont les motifs sont politiques. Après avoir étudié le statut des tribunaux ad hoc, et nécessairement avoir analysé tous les textes qui organisent la fonction de ces Tribunaux, nous sommes à même de confirmer que les tribunaux ad hoc ne seront pas remplacés par d'autres types d'organes de justice, tels que la justice transitionnelle et la compétence universelle. En outre, malgré l'entrée en fonction de la CPI en 2002, en tant que Cour permanente, nous assisterons à de nouvelles créations de tribunaux ad hoc, dont les statuts pourront s'inspirer du statut commun et de nos propositions personnelles. / The purpose of this thesis is to examine the ad hoc tribunals by analysing their definition in international public law, their founding legal principles, their jurisdiction over international crimes and their goals to determine wether there is a common international status for these tribunals.The implementation of the first ad hoc tribunals on the international stage after World War II, the IMT of Nuremberg and Tokyo, was due to the inability or unwillingness of the internal judicial system in the countries concerned to bring the perpetrators of war crimes to justice.Subsequently, nine ad hoc tribunals were established (either unilaterally by the Security Council or through an international agreement) with a view to prosecute the most monstrous crimes, such as crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. In this respect, we can say that the ad hoc tribunals benefit from all the mechanisms required to be efficient, such as individual criminal responsibility, primacy over nation courts and the obligation of States to cooperate,and they have succeeded to achieve the purpose of justice.However, in addition to their natural function to ensure justice, these tribunals had been given a further aim : to achieve international peace and security. They were not able to achieve this aim, because a legal body cannot reach a goal whose motives are political.After studying the status of the ad hoc tribunals and thus necessarily analysing all the texts which organise the function of these tribunals, we are in a position to confirm that the ad hoc tribunals will not be replaced by other judicial bodies, such as transitional justice or universal jurisdiction.Moreover, despite the entry into force of the ICC as a permanent court in 2002, new ad hoc tribunals will be established. Their status could be based on the common status and on our proposals.

La thèse porte sur le travail effectué par la justice belge, après la Seconde guerre mondiale, face aux crimes commis par les Allemands contre les Juifs. L'étude porte d'abord sur la mise en place du cadre juridique international et national. Ensuite, elle tente de montrer à travers une étude de cas comment, malgré un cadre juridique trop étroit, les juridictions militaires belges ont tenté de poursuivre et condamner les responsables allemands des persécutions raciales. / Doctorat en Histoire, art et archéologie / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

International crimes prosecutions have become more common since 1993, both domestically and at international courts and tribunals. The advance of this norm confronts realist state interests causing debate about the norm's status. Kathryn Sikkink views a norm as cascading when enough states adopt it to cause international influence, without domestic pressure, to procure levels of conformity. This thesis considers the degree of conformity by observing the level of case selection independence to determine whether this norm is cascading. By identifying the jurisdictional and functional elements of case selection independence, I develop a framework for observing the interface between politics and law. While Sikkink errs towards the quantity of international crimes prosecutions, I focus on the quality. This project examines case selection independence at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, the Special Court for Sierra Leone and the International Criminal Court, in Uganda. The project considers whether case selection has become more or less independent at these courts - whether the norm of international crimes prosecution has cascaded or contracted. In observing the various case selection independence elements I attempt to explain the observed cascades and contractions at each court. I then consider whether a cascade or contraction occurred during the period of the courts' collective design and function. The research qualitatively observes a cumulative justice contraction. The research observes a combination of factors affecting case selection independence, including shifts in power dynamics between and among weak and powerful states, increasing state sophistication in international court engagement, a shift in jurisdiction triggering actors and forums, and realist state co-option of norm entrepreneurs via endearing explanation of independence-diminishing policies.

Le comité international de la Croix-Rouge en abrégé CICR est une organisation humanitaire fondée en 1863 par le Comité de cinq citoyens suisses: Gustave Moynier, Henri Dunant, Guillaume Dufour, Louis Appia, Théodore Maunoir. Crée à la base pour secourir et venir en aide aux victimes de guerre, sur une initiative d'Henri Dunant d'après un souvenir de la Guerre de Solferino, le CICR élargira son champ d'action après la Convention de Genève de 1949. En effet, le CICR est l'ONG la plus représentée dans le monde et c'est à juste titre qu'elle fut Prix-Nobel de la paix en 1901 remis à Henri Dunant, en 1917, 1944, 1963, pour son effort lors des différents conflits, mais aussi le prix Balzan pour l'humanité, la paix et la fraternité entre les peuples en 1996. Elle s'est établie progressivement dans tous les continents après la seconde Guerre Mondiale. Avant cela, elle n'était qu'une ONG essentiellement européenne. En Afrique Centrale, la délégation de la Croix-Rouge Internationale était basée à Yaoundé au Cameroun et comprenait les pays d'Afrique Centrale tels que le Congo, la RD Congo, le Gabon, la Guinée Equatoriale et le Sao-Tomé. Dans ces pays l'oeuvre du CICR varie selon les besoins Humanitaires des uns et des autres. En effet, plus un Etat est en guerre, plus l’intervention du CICR est importante. Cette intervention se fait dans le respect des règles établies lors des différentes Conventions de Genève, de la Haye et bien d’autres encore. De ces différentes conférences est né le Droit international humanitaire qui codifie l’action du CICR sur le terrain, surtout en temps de guerre, mais aussi celles des autres ONG, y compris les entités onusiennes. Le Droit international est le respect des Droits de l’homme et son environnement en période de conflit armé. Ainsi l’action du CICR en Afrique Centrale a été plus importante en République Démocratique du Congo qu’au Gabon qui est resté sans conflits guerriers depuis 1960, date de départ de notre borne chronologique. Les pays qui font l’objet de notre étude ont connu diverses péripéties : la guerre de Bakassi pour le Cameroun, la guerre civile du Congo Brazzaville et la guerre à multiples facettes interminable en République Démocratique du Congo. L’intervention du CICR en temps de paix est souvent confiée aux Sociétés nationales qui doivent former les secouristes, diffuser le Droit international humanitaire, entre autres de leurs activités quotidiennes de supplier les gouvernements dans leurs missions de santé, d’hygiène. Même cette mission du CICR en temps de paix vise la limitation des dégâts en temps de guerre. / The International Committee of the Red Cross ICRC abstract is a humanitarian organization founded in 1863 by the Committee of five Swiss citizens: Moynier, Henry Dunant, Guillaume Dufour, Louis Appia, ThéodoreMaunoir. Creates the basis for the relief and assistance to victims of war, an initiative of Henry Dunant from a memory of the War of Solferino, the ICRC will extend its scope after the Geneva Convention of 1949. In Indeed, the ICRC is the NGO most represented in the world and it is appropriate that it was price-Nobel Peace Prize in 1901 awarded to Henri Dunant, in 1917, 1944, 1963 for his effort during the different conflicts, but also the Balzan Prize for humanity, peace and brotherhood among peoples in 1996. It was established gradually in all continents after the Second World War. Before that, she was a mostly European NGOs. In Central Africa, the delegation of the International Red Cross is based in Yaounde, Cameroon and includes the Central African countries such as Congo, DR Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and Sao Tome. In these countries the work of the ICRC varies Humanitarian needs of each other. The more a country is at war, most of the ICRC's intervention is important. This procedure is done in accordance with the rules established in the various Geneva Conventions, the Hague and many others. Of these conferences was born on international humanitarian law that codifies the ICRC's work in the field, especially in time of war, but also those of other NGOs, including UN entities. International law is respect for human rights and the environment in times of armed conflict. Thus the ICRC's work in Central Africa was greater in Democratic Republic of Congo and Gabon, which remained without military conflicts since 1960, starting date of our chronological terminal. The countries that are the subject of our study experienced various vicissitudes: Bakassi war for Cameroon, the civil war in Congo Brazzaville and war multifaceted ending in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The intervention of the ICRC in time of peace is often left to National Societies must train rescuers dissemination of international humanitarian law, including their daily activities to beg governments in their health missions, hygiene. Even the ICRC mission in peacetime is damage limitation in time of war.

Le droit international pénal est né de l'engagement de la responsabilité pénale individuelle des principaux criminels de la Seconde guerre mondiale. Aux Tribunaux de Nuremberg et de Tokyo, ont succédé dans les années 1990 les deux juridictions ad hoc pour l'ex-Yougoslavie et le Rwanda, créées par le Conseil de sécurité des Nations Unies, avant l'avènement d'une juridiction indépendante, permanente et à vocation universelle en 1998 : la Cour pénale internationale. Parmi les actes sous-jacents constitutifs de crimes de guerre, de crimes contre l'humanité et de génocide, une constante apparaît : l'intégrité physique et mentale. En l'absence de définition uniforme dans les systèmes juridiques nationaux, cette notion se définit sur la base des dispositions statutaires et se précise grâce à la jurisprudence des juridictions internationales pénales. Érigeant un véritable droit à l'intégrité physique et mentale en matière de génocide et de crimes de guerre, la jurisprudence des Tribunaux ad hoc utilise également la notion pour compléter la liste des actes sous-jacents constitutifs de crimes contre l'humanité et définir d'autres infractions. Les Chambres vont même jusqu'à protéger cette intégrité en dehors de toute incrimination. Car au-delà de l'intégrité physique et mentale des victimes se pose la question de l'intégrité physique et mentale des autres acteurs impliqués dans les conflits et les procès : soldats et personnel humanitaire, témoins, accusés.L'étude du droit à l'intégrité physique et mentale dans la jurisprudence internationale pénale permet de constater l'émergence d'un droit inconnu des systèmes juridiques nationaux en tant que tel. Ce droit soulève des questions de sécurité juridique tout en démontrant l'autonomie du droit international pénal / The roots of international criminal law may be found in the individual criminal liability of the major criminals of the Second World War. The Nuremberg and Tokyo International Military Tribunals were followed in the 1990's by the two ad hoc Tribunals for Former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, created by the United Nations Security Council, and then in 1998 by an independant and permanent tribunal with a universal vocation : the International Criminal Court. Among the underlying acts of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, a leitmotif stands out : physical and mental integrity. Without a uniform definition in national legal systems, this notion is defined on the basis of statutory provisions and becomes clear in the international criminal tribunals' case law. Establishing an autonomous right to physical and mental integrity in terms of genocide and war crimes, the case law of ad hoc tribunals alsouses the notion to complete the liste of underlying acts of crimes against humanity and to define some other crimes. Chambers are also protecting this integrity without any incrimination. Because beyond physical and mental integrity of victimes, arises the question of the physical and mental integrity of other actors of conflicts and proceedings : soldiers, humanitarian workers, witnesses and accused.Studying the right to physical and mental integrity in international criminal case law uncovers the emergence of a right unknown to national legal systems as such. This right raises questions of legal certainty as much as demonstrates the autonomy of international criminal law.

L’objet de cette recherche est d’analyser le principe de complémentarité, de montrer la spécificité de la notion et d’en étudier la mise en œuvre à la lumière de la pratique de la Cour Pénale Internationale (CPI) afin de mettre en évidence les obstacles juridiques et politiques. Selon l’article 1er du Statut de Rome, la Cour est complémentaire des juridictions pénales nationales pour le crime de génocide, les crimes contre l’humanité, les crimes de guerre et le crime d’agression. Dans le cadre de ce principe, les juridictions nationales ont la priorité mais la compétence de la Cour prend le relais lorsqu’un État ne dispose pas des moyens techniques ou juridiques nécessaires pour juger et punir les auteurs desdits crimes ou bien s’il mène un procès truqué. Dès lors, le régime de complémentarité vise à mettre fin à l’impunité à l’égard des personnes impliquées dans les crimes les plus graves qui touchent l’ensemble de la Communauté internationale. Le Statut de Rome, notamment par les dispositions de son article 17, indique comment mettre en œuvre la complémentarité selon les critères de recevabilité qui sont l’incapacité, le manque de volonté et la gravité. Les articles 18 et 19, pour leur part, fournissent le mécanisme de décision préjudicielle sur la recevabilité et la contestation. Par ailleurs, le rôle du Conseil de sécurité face à la complémentarité est aussi considéré comme un élément essentiel pour bien comprendre l’effectivité et l'impact juridique de cette Cour. En effet, les pouvoirs que le Statut de Rome et le chapitre VII de la Charte des Nations Unies confèrent au Conseil lui permettent de saisir la CPI, de suspendre son activité, d’imposer aux États de coopérer avec la Cour, ou encore de qualifier un acte de crime d’agression, et ceci bien que l'indépendance de l’enquête et du procès soit l’épine dorsale de toute la justice pénale, si celle-ci veut être efficace. / The purpose of this research is to analyse the principle of complementarity, to show the specific character of the notion and to study its implementation in the light of the practice of the International criminal court (ICC) in order to highlight the political and legal obstacles. In accordance with Article 1, the Court is complementary to national criminal jurisdictions for crime of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and crime of aggression. Under this principle, national jurisdictions have priority over ICC but the Court’s jurisdiction takes over when a State lacks the technical or legal means, which are necessary to try and punish the perpetrators of such crimes, or if a rigged trial took place. Therefore, complementarity aims to bring an end to impunity for those responsible for the most serious crimes of international concern. The Rome Statute, namely with the provisions of Article 17, indicates how to implement complementarity according to the criteria for admissibility which are inability, unwillingness and seriousness. Articles 18 and 19, for their part, provide the mechanism of preliminary ruling regarding admissibility and challenge. Furthermore, the role of the Security Council regarding complementarity is also considered as essential to understand the effectiveness and the legal impact of this Court. Powers which are conferred under the Rome Statute and chapter VII of the United Nations Charter allow the Security Council to refer a situation to the ICC, to suspend an ICC investigation, to require States to cooperate with the ICC, or to qualify a crime as aggression, and this despite the fact that the independence of the investigation and of the trial is the backbone of criminal justice ensuring it is efficient.