War Crimes in Internal Armed Conflicts

445 Pages·2008·2.38 MB·English

by  Eve La Haye

WAR CRIMES IN INTERNAL
ARMED CONFLICTS
Does international law make individuals responsible for perpetrating
warcrimesduringinternalarmedconflicts?
EveLaHayeexploresthecontentofinternationalcriminallawapplicable
insuchconflictsandquestionsthe1995findingoftheAppealsChamber
of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia that
responsibility could be enforced on the basis of customary international
law.Thisfindingisevaluatedwithregardtostatepracticeandthepracticeof
internationalorganisations.
The means to enforce individual criminal responsibility for such
crimes are also investigated. The states on whose territory the crimes
tookplacehavesometimestriedsuchperpetrators,butcanotherstates
prosecute perpetrators of war crimes under the principle of universal
jurisdiction? The applicability of universal jurisdiction to war crimes
committedincivilwarsandthepracticeofdomesticcourtsareexam-
ined,alongsidetheroleandachievementsofprosecutionscarriedoutby
internationalcourtsandtribunals.
EVELAHAYEisaformerAssociateLegalOfficeroftheAppealsChamber
of the ICTY and is now Legal Advisor at the International Committee
oftheRedCross,Geneva.

WAR CRIMES IN INTERNAL
ARMED CONFLICTS
EVE LA HAYE
CAMBRIDGEUNIVERSITYPRESS
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© Eve La Haye 2008
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without the written permission of Cambridge University Press.
First published in print format 2008
ISBN-13 978-0-511-39502-4 eBook (NetLibrary)
ISBN-13 978-0-521-86073-4 hardback
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Amesparents

CONTENTS
Acknowledgements xii
Listofabbreviationsandacronyms xiv
Introduction 1
1 Towardsaworkabledefinitionofinternalarmed
conflicts 5
1 Establishmentofanarmedconflict 6
1.1 Definitionofarmedconflictsininternationaltreaties 7
1.2 Definitionofarmedconflictsininternationalcaselaw 9
2 Internationalandinternalarmedconflicts 13
2.1 Recognitionofbelligerency 14
2.2 Warsofself-determination 14
2.3 Foreigninterventionininternalarmedconflicts 15
2.4 UNinterventionininternalarmedconflicts 19
2 Thelawsofwarapplicableininternalarmed
conflicts 32
1 Thelawsofwarapplicableininternalarmedconflictsbefore1949 33
1.1 Thelawsofwarandinternalarmedconflictspriortothe
twentiethcentury 33
1.2 Thelawsofwarandinternalarmedconflictsatthe
beginningofthetwentiethcentury 37
2 Treatylawapplicableininternalarmedconflictsafter1949 39
2.1 AdoptionandcontentofcommonArticle3ofthe1949
GenevaConventions 39
2.2 AdoptionandcontentofAdditionalProtocolIItothe
1949GenevaConventions 43
2.3 Otherrelevanttreaties 47
3 Customarylawsofwarapplicableininternalarmedconflicts
inthetwenty-firstcentury 49
3.1 Introduction 49
vii
viii CONTENTS
3.2 CommonArticle3andAdditionalProtocolIIascustomary
internationallaw 51
3.3 Customaryinternationallawandtheparticularitiesofthe
lawsofarmedconflicts 54
3.4 Theprotectionofciviliansfromtheeffectsofhostilities 57
3.4.1 Practiceofbelligerentsduringinternalarmedconflicts 58
3.4.2 Practiceofthirdstatesandinternational
organisations 61
3.5 Themeansofwarfareprohibitedininternalarmedconflicts 67
3.5.1 Practiceofbelligerentsduringinternalarmedconflicts 68
3.5.2 Practiceofthirdstatesandinternationalorganisations 69
4 Conclusion 73
3 Theregimeofwarcrimes 104
1 Thecustomaryrighttotrybelligerentsforviolationsofthelaws
ofwar:briefhistoricalsurvey 104
2 Thecurrentregimeofwarcrimescommittedininternational
armedconflicts 107
3 Theextensionoftheconceptofwarcrimestointernalarmed
conflicts:someconceptualissues 110
3.1 Nexusbetweenthecrimeandthearmedconflict 110
3.1.1 Thenexusinthecaselawoftheadhoctribunals 111
3.1.2 ThenexusinthestatuteoftheInternational
CriminalCourt 112
3.2 Potentialperpetratorsofwarcrimes 115
3.3 Categoriesofvictimsofwarcrimes 117
3.4 Howcanrebelforcesbeboundbythelawsofwarin
internalarmedconflicts? 119
3.5 Conclusion 121
4 Individualcriminalresponsibilityforwarcrimes
committedininternalarmedconflicts 131
1 Internationaltreatiesandtheprincipleofindividualcriminal
responsibilityforwarcrimescommittedininternalarmed
conflicts 133
1.1 ThestatutesofthetwoadhocInternationalCriminal
Tribunals 134
1.1.1 ThestatuteoftheInternationalCriminalTribunal
fortheformerYugoslavia 134
1.1.2 ThestatuteoftheInternationalCriminalTribunalfor
Rwanda 136
1.2 ThestatuteoftheInternationalCriminalCourt 138
CONTENTS ix
1.3 ThestatuteoftheSpecialCourtforSierraLeone 144
1.4 Othertreaties 147
2 Customaryinternationallawandtheprincipleofindividual
criminalresponsibilityforwarcrimesininternal
armedconflicts 148
2.1 Practiceofstates 150
2.1.1 Nationallegislation,criminalcodesandmilitary
manuals 150
2.1.1.1 Nationallegislationimplementingthe1949Geneva
Conventionsandthe1977Additional
Protocols 151
2.1.1.2 Militarymanuals 154
2.1.1.3 NationallegislationimplementingSecurityCouncil
resolutionsestablishingtheICTR
andtheICTY 155
2.1.1.4 Nationallegislationimplementingthestatuteofan
InternationalCriminalCourt 157
2.1.1.5 Conclusion 160
2.1.2 Declarationofstates 161
2.1.2.1 Unilateraldeclarationsofstatesduringdebatesinthe
SecurityCouncil 161
2.1.2.2 DeclarationsofstatesduringtheRomediplomatic
conferenceontheICC 162
2.1.3 Theadoptionofmultilateraltreatiesasevidenceofstate
practice 165
2.2 Practiceofinternationalorganisations 166
2.2.1 UNSecurityCouncilresolutions 166
2.2.2 UNGeneralAssemblyresolutionsandSecretary-General
reports 168
2.2.3 ThepracticeoftheEuropeanUnion 169
2.3 Conclusion 170
3 Tentativelistofwarcrimesininternalarmedconflicts 172
5 Nationalprosecutionsofwarcriminalsandinternal
armedconflicts 216
1 Universaljurisdictionandwarcrimesininternationallaw 218
1.1 Universaljurisdictionoverwarcrimesininternationalarmed
conflicts:historicalbackgroundandcontemporary
applications 221
1.2 Titleofjurisdictionprovidedininternational
treatiesforwarcrimescommittedininternalarmed
conflicts 224