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WAR CRIMES

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WAR CRIMES Kailyn McGillicuddy Hilary Panfili Rodham Clinton s husband, former President Bill Clinton, originally signed the Rome Statute (the ICC s underlying ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: WAR CRIMES


1
WAR CRIMES
  • Kailyn McGillicuddy
  • Hilary Panfili

2
Issue
  • Should the United States join the International
    Criminal Court (ICC) to prosecute War Crimes?

3
International Humanitarian Law
  • Humanitarian law seeks to
  • (i) protect persons who are not or are no longer
    taking part in the hostilities,
  • (ii) restrict the methods and means of warfare
    employed, and
  • (iii) resolve matters of humanitarian concern
    resulting from war.
  • Henri Dunant - founder of the International Red
    Cross - helped codify international humanitarian
    law

4
Hague Conference of 1899
  • Hague I - Pacific Settlement of International
    Disputes 29 July 1899
  • Hague II - Laws and Customs of War on Land 29
    July 1899
  • Hague III - Adaptation to Maritime Warfare of
    Principles of Geneva Convention of 1864 July
    29,1899
  • Hague IV - Prohibiting Launching of Projectiles
    and Explosives from Balloons July 29, 1899

5
Hague Conference of 1899 Contd
  • Declaration I - on the Launching of Projectiles
    and Explosives from Balloons July 29, 1899
  • Declaration II - on the Use of Projectiles the
    Object of Which is the Diffusion of Asphyxiating
    or Deleterious Gases July 29, 1899
  • Declaration III - on the Use of Bullets Which
    Expand or Flatten Easily in the Human Body July
    29, 1899
  • Final Act of the International Peace
    Conference July 29, 1899

6
Hague Conference of 1907
  • Hague I - Pacific Settlement of International
    Disputes 18 October 1907
  • Hague II - Limitation of Employment of Force
    for Recovery of Contract Debts October 18, 1907
  • Hague III - Opening of Hostilities 18 October
    1907
  • Hague IV - Laws and Customs of War on Land 18
    October 1907
  • Hague V - Rights and Duties of Neutral Powers
    and Persons in Case of War on Land 18 October
    1907
  • Hague VI - Status of Enemy Merchant Ships at
    the Outbreak of Hostilities 18 October 1907
  • Hague XI - Restrictions With Regard to the
    Exercise of the Right of Capture in Naval War
    18 October 1907

7
Geneva Conventions
  • 1949 - Convention (I) for the Amelioration of
    the Condition of the Wounded and Sick in Armed
    Forces in the Field, August 12
  • 1949 - Convention (II) for the Amelioration of
    the Condition of Wounded, Sick and Shipwrecked
    Members of Armed Forces at Sea, August 12
  • 1949 - Convention (III) Relative to the
    Treatment of Prisoners of War August 12
  • 1949 - Convention (IV) Relative to the
    Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War,
    August 12

8
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9
2441. War Crimes
  • Definition.the term war crime means any
    conduct
  • (1) defined as a grave breach in any of the
    international conventions signed at Geneva 12
    August 1949, or any protocol to such convention
    to which the United States is a party
  • (2) prohibited by Article 23, 25, 27, or 28 of
    the Annex to the Hague Convention IV, Respecting
    the Laws and Customs of War on Land, signed 18
    October 1907
  • (3) which constitutes a grave breach of common
    Article 3 (as defined in subsection (d)) when
    committed in the context of and in association
    with an armed conflict not of an international
    character or
  • (4) of a person who, in relation to an armed
    conflict and contrary to the provisions of the
    Protocol on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the
    Use of Mines, Booby-Traps and Other Devices as
    amended at Geneva on 3 May 1996 (Protocol II as
    amended on 3 May 1996), when the United States is
    a party to such Protocol, willfully kills or
    causes serious injury to civilians.

10
War Crimes
  • Common Article 3 is applicable to armed conflicts
    not of an international character and covers
    persons taking no active part in hostilities,
    including those who have laid down their arms or
    been incapacitated bu capture or injury.
  • Torture
  • Cruel or inhuman treatment
  • Performing biological experiments
  • Murder
  • Mutilation or maiming
  • Intentionally causing serious bodily injury
  • Rape
  • Sexual assault or abuse
  • Taking hostages

11
Common Article 3
  • Persons taking no active part in the hostilities,
    including members of armed forces who have laid
    down their arms and those placed hors de
    combat by sickness, wounds, detention, or any
    other cause, shall in all circumstances be
    treated humanely, without any adverse distinction
    founded on race, color, religion or faith, sex,
    birth or wealth, or any other similar criteria.
  • To this end, the following acts are and shall
    remain prohibited at any time and in any place
    whatsoever with respect to the above-mentioned
    persons
  • (a) violence to life and person, in
    particular murder of all kinds, mutilation, cruel
    treatment and torture
  • (b) taking of hostages
  • (c) outrages upon personal dignity, in
    particular humiliating and degrading treatment
  • (d) the passing of sentences and the carrying
    out of executions without previous judgment
    pronounced by a regularly constituted court,
    affording all the judicial guarantees which are
    recognized as indispensable by civilized peoples.

12
Hamdan v. Rumsfled
  • Bush Administration had taken the position that
    the Geneva Conventions did not apply to members
    of Al Qaeda captured in the global war on
    terror.
  • The Court- some minimal protection, falling
    short of full protection under the Conventions,
    to any individuals ... who are involved in a
    conflict in the territory of a signatory.
  • Military Commission Act (MCA) of 2006

13
International War Crimes
  • London Charter
  • Nuremberg Trials(1945-1949)
  • International Military Tribunal took place
    between November 11, 1945- October 1, 1946
  • International Military Tribunal for the Far East
    1946

14
Genocide
  • Yugoslavia
  • 1992-1995 Bosnian War
  • International Criminal Tribunal for the Former
    Yugoslavia (ICTY)
  • Rwanda
  • 1 January 1994 and 31 December 1994
  • International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
    (ICTR)

15
International Criminal Court
  • Established by the Rome Statute in 2002
  • 110 members (as of October 2009)
  • The United States is not currently a member

16
Rome Statute
  • Adopted July 17, 1998
  • Entered into force July 1, 2002
  • 110 States have ratified
  • 38 States have signed
  • Defines prosecutable crimes as
  • Genocide
  • War Crimes
  • Crimes Against Humanity

17
U.S. Opposition Rome Statute
  • 1. Jurisdiction over Nationals of Non-Parties
  • 2. Politicized Prosecution
  • 3. The Unaccountable Prosecutor
  • 4. Usurpation of the Role of the U.N. Security
    Council
  • 5. Lack of Due Process Guarantees

18
1. Jurisdiction over Nationals of Non-Parties
  • Only nations that ratify treaties are bound to
    observe them. The ICC purports to subject to its
    jurisdiction citizens of non-party nations, thus
    binding non-party nations.

19
2. Politicized Prosecution
  • The ICCs flaws may allow it to be used by some
    countries to bring trumped-up charges against
    American citizens, who, due to the prominent role
    played by the United States in world affairs, may
    have greater exposure to such charges than
    citizens of other nations.

20
3. The Unaccountable Prosecutor
  • The Office of the Prosecutor, an organ of the
    ICC that is not controlled by any separate
    political authority, has unchecked discretion to
    initiate cases, which could lead to politicized
    prosecutions.

21
4. Usurpation of the Role of the U.N. Security
Council
  • The ICC Statute gives the ICC the authority to
    define and punish the crime of aggression,
    which is solely the prerogative of the Security
    Council of the United Nations under the U.N.
    Charter.

22
5. Lack of Due Process Guarantees
  • The ICC will not offer accused Americans the due
    process rights guaranteed them under the U.S.
    Constitution, such as the right to a jury trial.

23
Congressional Action Against ICC
  • 1. American Servicemembers Protection Act of
    2002
  • 2. The Nethercutt Amendment
  • 3. National Defense Authorization Act for FY2007

24
1. ASPA (2002)
  • The ASPA prohibits cooperation with the ICC by
    any agency or entity of the federal government,
    or any state or local government.
  • It prohibits agents of the ICC from conducting
    any investigative activity on U.S. soil related
    to matters of the ICC.
  • It does not prevent private citizens from
    providing testimony or evidence to the ICC.

25
ASPA and Article 98
  • An Article 98 agreement is a bilateral pact
    wherein countries pledge not to seek the
    prosecution of U.S. citizens in the International
    Criminal Court.
  • This law prohibits U.S. military assistance to
    countries that have not signed Article 98
    agreements.

26
2. Nethercutt Amendment
  • Named for former Rep. George Nethercutt and
    bundled in a 2004 appropriations bill -- cut
    economic support funds to nations that ratified
    the International Criminal Court without signing
    a Bilateral Immunity Agreement with the Bush
    administration.
  • Policy was reversed in March 2009 by Rep. Nita
    Lowey and Sen. Patrick Leahy.

27
3. National Defense Authorization Act for FY2007
  • The Senate version modified ASPA to end the ban
    on International Military Education and Training
    (IMET) assistance to countries that are members
    of the ICC and that have not implemented Article
    98 agreements.
  • The House version did not contain such a
    provision however, the House Armed Services
    Committee reported its view that the Presidents
    authority to waive ASPA funding restrictions can
    and should be invoked where necessary.

28
How is the ICC different?
  • Serves as a permanent deterrent.
  • The ICC has much wider jurisdiction than existing
    ad hoc tribunals.
  • Yugoslavia and Rwanda are limited to crimes
    committed in a particular territory.
  • The Rome Statute contains advanced provisions for
    the protection of victims from retraumatization.
  • The court may order a convicted person to provide
    reparation as it deems appropriate.

29
Notable ICC Cases
  • Uganda The Prosecutor v. Joseph Kony, Vincent
    Otti, Raska Lukwiya, Okot Odhiambo and Dominic
    Ongwen
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) The
    Prosecutor v. Thomas Lubanga Dyilo
  • Sudan The Prosecutor v. Ahmad Muhammad Harun and
    Ali Huhammad Ali Abd-al-Rahman
  • Central African Republic (CAR)

30
Should the U.S. join?
  • The United States appears to be exempting itself
    from rules of the game that it believes should
    apply to others.
  • The U.S. claim for special status undermines the
    very idea of the rule of law as a single,
    principled normative order to which all are
    bound.
  • It may undermine the great international effort
    of the last century to subject the use of force
    to the rule of law.

31
Heritage Foundation
  • The U.S. should NOT join the ICC because it
  • Lacks prudent safeguards against political
    manipulation, possesses sweeping authority
    without accountability and violates national
    sovereignty
  • Lacks checks and balances
  • Is slow to act
  • Has no measurable deterrent effect
  • Has the ability to investigate and prosecute
    crimes only after the fact

32
Amnesty International
  • The U.S. SHOULD join the ICC because
  • The Rome Statute incorporates safeguards against
    politically motivated prosecutions
  • It would only investigate cases involving U.S.
    nationals if the U.S. failed to investigate

33
Current Administrations Stance on ICC
  • Secretary of State Clinton recently stated that
    one of her greatest regrets is that the US is not
    part of the ICC, which indicates a significant
    policy shift in favor of the court.
  • Under the new administration of President Barack
    Obama, there have been hints of greater U.S.
    cooperation with the ICC, although no formal
    shift in policy.
  • Some advocate caution, saying the president can
    afford not to rush membership and should wait to
    see how the ICC evolves.

34
Policy Options to Make it Work
  • The U.S. could have jurisdiction to prosecute
    crimes committed by Americans.
  • This would preempt the ICC though application of
    the complementarity principle.
  • The U.S. should cooperate with the ICC in the
    prosecution of persons accused of war crimes.
  • Transparency would further enhance the image of
    the U.S. as fair and credible .

35
Conclusion
  • The ICC ensures that those who commit serious
    human rights violations are held accountable.
  • Justice helps promote lasting peace, enables
    victims to rebuild their lives and sends a strong
    message that perpetrators of war crimes will not
    go unpunished.
  • Should the United States of America choose to
    join the ICC, its reputation as a promoter of
    human rights and the rule of law would be
    significantly enhanced in the eyes of the
    international community.

36
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