International court
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/96/International_Criminal_Court_building_%282016%29_in_The_Hague.png/220px-International_Criminal_Court_building_%282016%29_in_The_Hague.png)
International courtsare formed bytreatiesbetweennations,or by aninternational organizationsuch as theUnited Nations– and includead hoctribunals and permanent institutions but exclude any courts arising purely under national authority.
Definition
[edit]An international court is aninternational organization,or a body of an international organization, that hears cases in which one party may be a state or international organization (or body thereof), and which is composed of independent judges who follow predetermined rules of procedure to issue binding decisions on the basis ofinternational law.[1]
History
[edit]Early examples of international courts include theNurembergandTokyotribunals established in the aftermath ofWorld War II.Several such international courts are presently located inThe Haguein theNetherlands,most importantly theInternational Court of Justice(ICJ), and theInternational Criminal Court(ICC). Further international courts exist elsewhere, usually with their jurisdiction restricted to a particular country, a global or regional intergovernmental or supranational organisation, or historic issue, such as theInternational Criminal Tribunal for Rwandathat deals with thegenocideinRwanda.
In addition to international tribunals created to address crimes committed during genocides and civil war,ad hoccourts and tribunals combining international and domestic strategies have also been established on a situational basis. Examples of these "hybrid tribunals" are theSpecial Court for Sierra Leone,Special Tribunal for Lebanon,Special Panels of the Dili District Courtin East Timor, and theExtraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia.
Privileges and immunities
[edit]Judgesand high-level staff of such courts may be affordeddiplomatic immunityif their governing authority allows.
List of international courts
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9f/Defendants_in_the_dock_at_the_Nuremberg_Trials.jpg/220px-Defendants_in_the_dock_at_the_Nuremberg_Trials.jpg)
List of hybrid tribunals
[edit]Name | Years active | Subject matter |
---|---|---|
Extraordinary African Chambers | 2013–present | Criminal prosecutions for crimes against humanity committed during PresidentHis sắc ne Habré's tenure |
Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia | 2006–present | Criminal prosecutions ofKhmer Rougeofficials for theCambodian genocide |
Kosovo Specialist Chambers | 2017–present | Criminal prosecutions ofKosovo Liberation Armyofficials for war crimes during theKosovo War |
Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone | 2013−present | Criminal prosecutions for war crimes during theSierra Leone Civil War |
Special Court for Sierra Leone | 2002–2013 | |
Special Panels of the Dili District Court | 2000–2006 | Criminal prosecutions for war crimes during the1999 East Timorese crisis |
Special Tribunal for Lebanon | 2009−2023 | Criminal prosecutions for theassassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri |
Lectures
[edit]- LecturebyYuval Shany(Yuval Shany) entitledAssessing the Effectiveness of International Courts: A Goal-based Approachin theLecture Series of the United Nations Audiovisual Library of International Law
- LecturebySir Elihu LauterpachtentitledThe Role of the International Judgein theLecture Series of the United Nations Audiovisual Library of International Law
- LecturebyKenneth KeithentitledAspects of the Judicial Process in National and International Courts and Tribunalsin theLecture Series of the United Nations Audiovisual Library of International Law
- LecturebyMark Weston JanisentitledProtestants, Progress and Peace: the 19th Century Movement for an International Court and Congress: Early Drafts of Today's International Court and the United Nationsin theLecture Series of the United Nations Audiovisual Library of International Law
See also
[edit]- International Anti-Corruption Court,proposed
References
[edit]- ^Romano, Cesare P.R.;Alter, Karen J.;Shany, Yuval(2013).The Oxford Handbook of International Adjudication.Oxford University Press.pp. 4–9.ISBN9780199660681.
External links
[edit]- Project on International Courts and Tribunals,which maintains a second website focused on Africa ataict-ctia.org
- United Nations Rule of Law: Tribunals & Other Mechanisms(Archived2021-04-27 at theWayback Machine), on the relationship between international courts and therule of law.