Some reflections on the legitimacy of international trial justice

This paper addresses a number of interrelated conceptual difficulties that impact adversely on the ability of international criminal trials to deliver outcomes perceived as legitimate by victims and communities in post-conflict states. It begins by exploring the extent to which those moral justifications for punishment espoused by international courts are instrumental in marginalizing the aspirations for justice of victims and victim communities, and suggests how a greater appreciation of the sociological context of punishing international crimes can contribute towards an improved understanding of normative practice. The paper then examines the relationship between perceptions of international crime and punishment, and the broader issue of whether international criminal law provides an appropriate normative structure for giving effect to those universal humanitarian values concerned with punishment in an increasingly pluralistic world. Finally, the paper considers how the theory and practice of punishing international crimes can more effectively satisfy both local and global aspirations for post-conflict justice through enhancing the transformative capacity of international criminal trials.     

罪刑法定原则论纲

罪刑法定原则是刑法的根本原则,它存在的形式前提是宪法中规定的法治原则,而实质前提则是民主主义与自由主义。作为刑法原则,罪刑法定原则在形式上表现为四个派生原则,在实质上就是人权保障原则。由于两大法系对法治主义理解的不同,所以罪刑法定原则在大陆法系表现为面向实体的原则,而在英美法系则表现为面向程序的原则(实体的正当程序原则)。罪刑法定原则的实现,首先是作为立法原则,其次是作为司法原则,其不是实现在刑法运行的某一阶段,而是实现在刑法运行的全过程中。     

Developing Contextualized Rationales for Sentencing in International Criminal Trials: A Plea for Empirical Research

The aim of this article is to illustrate how the pervading ideologyof retributivism has affected the norms and practice of sentencingin international criminal trials. It examines the nature andoperation of international sentencing law and procedure andthe parameters set for the exercise of discretionary power,suggesting how these militate against the development of moreconstructive rationales for punishment because of their continuedemphasis on principles of consistency and proportionality. Itis argued that the rationales for international sentencing needto engage more with the aspirations for justice of victims andpost-conflict societies. This would suggest a re-evaluationof punishment and a change in the sentencing practices of internationalcriminal tribunals. The article concludes that comparative contextualanalysis could provide important insights, which would be ofgreat assistance for international sentencing.     

The Impact of Cultural Diversity on International Criminal Proceedings

This article analyses the impact of cultural diversity on internationalcriminal proceedings, and what may be done to counter the unfortunateconditions — limited (or lack of) understanding, alienationand disagreement — resulting from this diversity. Eachof these conditions, if ignored, seriously undermines not merelythe efficacy of international criminal tribunals, but also theirworth from the standpoint of those who are supposed to benefitfrom them, i.e. actual participants (accused, witnesses andvictims) and affected populations. At present, internationalcriminal tribunals primarily understand the problem of culturaldiversity as one of how to cope with linguistic variations.However, a persistent focus on culture as language hides differencesin terms of other culture-specific components of equal relevanceto their work, notably socio-cultural norms and convictionsabout justice. These variations are especially difficult totackle. In this context, the article examines whether nationalcourts, which are assumed to conduct their proceedings in moreculturally homogenous settings, offer more appropriate foraof adjudication of grave crimes under international law.     

La evolución del crimen de lesa humanidad en el derecho penal internacional*

Due to its “ex novo” character and the lack of a definition provided by a treaty, crimes against humanity have been evolutionarily defined by different international norms and by the jurisdictional activity of the International criminal tribunals that have been established throughout recent history up until the creation of the International Criminal Court. Thus, both positive and customary International criminal law have represented a competent judicial cooperative way to face these acts, first and foremost, by developing its gradual conceptualization and final codification and, secondly, through enabling the prosecution and the punishment of those responsible for these crimes. Accordingly, the evolution of the crimes against humanity’s definition is an outstanding legal element, which has contributed to the further consolidation of international criminal law.     

国家刑罚权与检察职能的关系

现代检察制度是随着国家将刑罚权分解并由不同国家机关承担侦查、起诉与审判职能而产生与发展起来的,是法治思想的产物。刑事法治的要旨在于对国家刑罚权进行限制以保障公民个体的权利。我国法治实践表明,检察机关的根本任务应从侧重刑罚的保护功能(惩治犯罪)向刑罚保护功能和保障功能(保障人权)并举,维护国家刑罚权良性运行的轨道转变,这不仅是刑事司法规律对检察权运行的本质要求,也是"法律监督"属性在刑事司法领域的本质含义和具体体现。     

战争罪的国内立法研究

战争罪是在战争或者武装冲突中发生的违反战争法规、严重侵犯人权的罪行。战争罪主要是国际法上的罪行,但国内法院也承担着追究战争罪罪犯刑事责任的重要任务。将我国缔结的国际公约里规定的战争罪转化为国内刑法上的犯罪,是我国作为缔约国应当履行的条约义务。但我国《刑法》只有第446条和第448条规定的两个犯罪才基本符合国际法对于战争罪的定义。我国《刑法》应当专章设立“危害人类和平与安全罪”,使其包括战争罪等核心罪行,这样可以更好地维护我国的刑事管辖权,有效地避免我国公民受到国际刑事法庭的审判,以便享受《国际刑事法院规约》补充管辖原则提供的益处。     

当代国际刊法的新发展

大量证据显示国际刑事审判的展开促进了国际刑法的发展,而在国际刑法发展的进程中,出现了一系列新的观念和原则并逐渐得到国际社会的广泛认可,诸如灭绝种族罪、危害人类罪和战争罪的定义,以及合法性原则、补充性管辖原则、个人刑事责任原则和国际合作与司法协助原则等。国际刑事法院的建立在国际刑法制度发展中具有里程碑式的意义,联合国、联合国宪章以及联合国大会的一系列决议为国际刑法的发展发挥了至关重要的作用。     

The Relevance of the United Nations War Crimes Commission to the Prosecution of Sexual and Gender-Based Crimes Today

This article discusses aspects of the origin and development of jurisprudence relating to the prosecution of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in the context of international criminal law. It examines a selection of archival material from the United Nations War Crimes Commission (UNWCC) and other bodies connected to it, noting that the UNWCC was the first multinational criminal law organization to explicitly endorse SGBV crimes as international crimes. UNWCC-supported trials in both Europe and Asia suggest that rape committed in the context of armed conflict or situations of mass violence was punishable as a serious crime nearly 70 years ago. Moreover, many of the theories of liability used by contemporary tribunals today were used in the UNWCC-supported cases. The authors maintain that the UNWCC archives are not only valuable for tribunals prosecuting conflict-related SGBV cases today, but the jurisprudence emerging from UNWCC-supported cases may also be quite relevant to contemporary policy debates.     

论人民检察院对行政处罚权的刑事法律监督

人民检察院通过对职务犯罪行使侦查权实现对行政权的监督是我国行政法学和检察学的传统理论。现实中行政处罚以罚代刑,不移送涉嫌犯罪案件等违反刑事法律问题普遍存在,行政执法与刑事司法衔接机制存在局限性。应对传统理论进行反思,确立人民检察院在行政处罚程序中的刑事法律监督地位,设置相应的检察监督机制,以有效地预防职务犯罪和惩治经济犯罪。     

刑事诉讼法再修改之基本理念——兼及若干基本原则之修改

刑事诉讼法的修改是大势所趋 ,势在必行 ,其目标应力求将刑事诉讼法修改成为一部符合现代民主法治国家要求、与国际刑事司法准则相衔接、符合中国国情、形式完备的法典。为此必须更新理念 :应坚持惩罚犯罪与保障人权相结合 ;实体公正与程序公正并重 ;客观真实与法律真实相结合 ;公正优先并兼顾效率的原则     

The right to counsel in Iranian criminal justice system

Criminal law deals with very important aspects of the life in the society. The subjects of the crime, health, reputation … are so important that endangering them requires punishment and it is told that the society in order to protect the public order should punish the perpetrators. There is no doubt that the criminals should be punished. The punishment enacted by the legislator should be proportional. The more serious the crime, the more severe the punishment. But, it seems that in the process of criminal trial, the accused has rights too. It means that society has not an absolute authority in accusation and punishment and in addition to the proportionality and justification of punishment the trial should be fair. In other words, it is not possible to speak about justice any more if the criminal is punished proportionally and rightly but not fairly, i.e. without allowing him/her to present his/her case, defend him/herself and obtain legal aid or sufficient information. Iranian criminal law, like other criminal justice systems in respecting the rights of the accused, has provided the right to counsel. This value can be expressed in the concept of the rule of law, recognized in international documents. It seems that the standards of the criminal procedure are mostly determined and developed under the influence of this concept. The current paper considers different aspects of the right to counsel in Iran.     

我国知识产权刑法保护现存问题及完善建议

我国知识产权犯罪的定罪标准呈逐渐下降的趋势,相应的刑罚制度严厉程度也处于世界前列,然而侵犯知识产权的犯罪活动仍比较猖獗,犯罪化程度较高。这种现象表明,仅依靠严刑重罚的方式难以实现防治侵犯知识产权犯罪行为的目的。完善我国知识产权刑法保护,应从协调统一民刑法不同法律之间关于知识产权的规定,完善知识产权犯罪刑罚结构以及保持知识产权犯罪行政打击的常态化、高压态势,完善行政执法与刑事司法衔接机制等方面入手。     

Justifying Punishment: A Response to Douglas Husak

In ‘Why Criminal Law: A Question of Content?’, Douglas Husak argues that an analysis of the justifiability of the criminal law depends upon an analysis of the justifiability of state punishment. According to Husak, an adequate justification of state punishment both must show why the state is permitted to infringe valuable rights such as the right not to be punished and must respond to two distinct groups of persons who may demand a justification for the imposition of punishment, namely, individuals subjected to punishment and the society asked to support the institution of punishment. In this discussion, I analyse Husak’s account of the right not to be punished with an eye to showing that the parameters of that right do not extend to the cases that would make it controversial. I also consider two other distinct groups of persons who have equal standing to alleged offenders and society to demand justification for the imposition of state punishment, namely, direct victims of crimes and criminal justice officials.     

完善附加剥夺政治权利浅探

附加剥夺政治权利是我国刑法中一种特定的刑罚处罚方法。在列举、分析其与主刑在适用数罪并罚、缓刑、假释等刑罚制度时可能出现的种种不协调情形的基础上,对完善我国刑法的相关条款提出了一些建议。     

International criminal justice: reflections on the past and the future

While Nuremberg constitutes a watershed in the evolution of international law with its establishment of the fundamental principle of individual criminal responsibility under international law it has not left much else by way of precedent for the subsequent international criminal tribunals. The adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 827 establishing the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, and Resolution 955 (1994) establishing the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, set the groundwork for a new model of hybrid tribunals, with the establishment of the Special Court for Sierra Leone in 2002, the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia in 2006, and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon in 2007. Perhaps one of the greatest legacies of these ad hoc and hybrid courts and tribunals has been paving the way for the establishment of a permanent international criminal court. However, they have also brought about the development of international criminal law through judicial interpretation, elaborating, inter alia, the elements of the crime of genocide as detailed in the 1948 Genocide Convention, the judicial recognition of the concept of joint criminal enterprise and the principle that national arrangements for amnesties in respect of international crimes are no bar to prosecution for such crimes at an international tribunal. In view of the completion strategies of the ad hoc Tribunals, as well as of the SCSL, this article delves into some of their legacies and outlines some of the difficulties and challenges they have faced, while identifying areas of best practice in order for the newly‐operational International Criminal Court to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past or even reinventing new wheels.     

犯罪控制的惩罚主义及其效果

1979年以来我国刑事立法和司法忽视或遗忘了刑法的特征与内在价值,高估了刑法影响人的行为的可能性,刑法一直保持着在功能化方向上的惯性,刑罚结构和刑罚适用面临着重刑主义的突出问题。我国的犯罪控制存在着惩罚主义的结构特征,然而惩罚主义的意愿和努力,并没能有效遏制犯罪规模和犯罪的总体严重程度迅猛发展的势头。在刑事政策和刑罚体系的主导思想没有做出重大调整前,刑罚轻缓化的改革仍然任重道远。     

中国特色刑事诉讼制度的重大发展

刑事诉讼法修改在坚持从我国基本国情出发,循序渐进地推进我国刑事诉讼制度的完善;坚持统筹处理好惩罚犯罪与保障人权的关系;坚持着力解决在惩治犯罪与维护司法公正方面存在的突出问题原则下,贯彻了"尊重和保障人权"的宪法原则,对证据制度、辩护制度、强制措施、侦查程序、审判程序、执行程序等方面作了完善,是中国特色刑事诉讼制度的重大发展。但在取得很大成绩的同时,问题与不足也是客观存在的,还需要进一步完善,并通过司法解释的出台和实施细则的制定加以弥补。     

法定刑设置之比较性研究

在法定刑设置时，不仅需要在同一犯罪申寻求罪行均衡的平衡点，更要从刑法体系的整体考虑中对不同犯罪进行横向比较，从而达到最佳的立法效果。中国刑法中至少有两处法定刑设置不平衡。本文经过比较分析之後，提出相应的建议，希望对今後的立法和司法实践有所裨益。     

宽严相济政策在未成年人犯罪案件中的适用——以刑事诉讼程序中的检察环节为视角

检察机关要正确领会和切实贯彻宽严相济刑事司法政策,以"宽"与"严"相济为导向来处理未成年人犯罪。在具体执法手段上,要区分未成年人犯罪的不同动机和不同情节,采用多元的"宽"的执法方法;对未成年人犯罪性质恶劣、情节严重的要及时给以打击,该捕要捕、该诉要诉,当严则严;还可以考虑借鉴"恢复性司法"司法措施,以兼顾未成年犯罪人的权利保护和受害人损失的恢复与补偿。"宽"与"严"都要以实现社会公平、正义、和谐为其终极目的。