Special issue in the Journal of International Criminal Justice, December 2018

Sévane Garibian

Special issue entitled "Laying the Foundations for a Convention on Crimes Against Humanity”, co-edited by Sévane Garibian and Claus Kress in The Journal of International Criminal Justice, vol. 16, n° 4, pp. 679-961.

Abstract of the co-editors' concluding observations:

How far have we come in laying the foundations for a Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes against Humanity? The co-editors of this symposium conclude that solid groundwork has been laid and hope that the current momentum will be maintained. At the same time, they caution against a ‘rush to conclusion’ as they see room for considerable refinement of many of the proposed provisions as well as the need for a genuine attempt to address the unresolved questions of immunity ratione materiae and amnesty. At this juncture, it is not easy to predict whether a meaningful new draft convention can be presented without further deepening the divide among states about international criminal justice. But it can safely be stated that every additional investment in intellectual energy and time to arrive at the formulation of such a draft is worthy of the effort. The adoption of a Convention on Crimes Against Humanity and preferably one that also updates the Genocide Convention would mark another milestone in the evolution of the international criminal justice system.

Read the special issue (online)