The International Committee of the Red Cross and International Human Rights Law

Throughout a considerable part of its history, the InternationalCommittee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has customarily refrainedfrom invoking international human rights law, for reason ofthis law's alleged politicisation. However, the changing characterof armed conflicts and other situations of violence where theICRC is currently operating have prompted it to set a frameworkfor making some limited use of selected and applicable humanrights, for the purpose of reinforcing the protection and assistanceit provides. This article examines how the ICRC may use humanrights in this way during armed conflicts, through the prismof international humanitarian law, as well as the conditionsfor their invocation in accordance with relevant ICRC doctrines.     

Red Cross and federal government held liable for hemophiliacs' HIV infection

After eight years of litigation, on 21 June 2000 three hemophiliacs infected with HIV finally won a judgment against the Canadian Red Cross Society and the federal government. An Ontario trial court ruled the Red Cross and the government were negligent for having delayed the implementation of heat treatment for blood products, which resulted in the plaintiffs' infections. Since starting their lawsuits in 1992, two of the three plaintiffs died of AIDS before the trial judgment. But the damage awards were criticized by the plaintiffs' lawyer.     

Genocide, Justice and the Forensic Sensibilities of the International Committee of the Red Cross

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is a privateorganization formed, in 1865, under the laws of Switzerland,with the aim of making wars more humane. In order to achievethis aim, the ICRC dedicated itself to the mission of givingsuccour to the victims of war, and of initiating the adoptionof humanitarian rules of conduct of armed conflicts. In theensuing years, the international community endorsed the workof the ICRC and recognized its roles accordingly. In the meantime,there was no international criminal justice system in placeto punish those who violated the international law of war. Morethan a century and a quarter after the birth of the ICRC, theUnited Nations initiated the creation of an international criminaljustice system, with the establishment of the InternationalCriminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and for Rwanda,under the powers of the Security Council to maintain internationalpeace and security. The objective was to end impunity for thosewho would violate international law by committing genocide,crimes against humanity and war crimes. In a quite notable development,the ICRC registered in absolute terms its position to the effectthat neither it nor those who worked under its auspices maybe subjected to testimony before these International Tribunals.The bases offered for this assertion of absolute testimonialimmunity are the practical requirements of the work of the ICRC,as well as customary international law which is said to haverecognized such a rule. This paper disputes the ICRC's assertionof absolute testimonial immunity as correctly founded in lawor principle, although recognizing that the important work ofthe ICRC does fairly warrant a judicial reluctance to summonICRC into the witness box. Nevertheless, such reluctance mustbe invoked on a case-by-case basis, and is not a matter of substantiverule of law.     

Court approves final Red Cross bankruptcy plan to compensate blood victims

Following two years of negotiations, the insolvent Canadian Red Cross Society received court approval on 14 September 2000 of its plan to compensate victims of Canada's tainted blood tragedy (and pay other creditors).     

红十字救护法律责任的豁免与限制——基于"好萨玛利亚人法"的分析

红十字救护在应对重大自然灾害、突发公共事件的过程中一直发挥着积极、重要的作用.中国红十字会每年耗费巨大的人力、物力、财力进行救护员培训.但在实践中,由于我国现行相关法律法规的缺失,诸多救护员担心即便是正当救护也可能面临承担法律责任的风险,因此在遇到伤者需要救助的情形时也慎于出手,无法更好地发挥群众生命健康守护员的作用.借鉴西方国家"好萨玛利亚人法"的有关规定,我国也应当设置相关法律法规对红十字救护的法律责任实行有条件地豁免,即便救护员应该承担一定的赔偿责任,也应对其责任进行适当限制.     

国际刑法证据规则的一个例外——关于红十字国际委员会作证豁免权问题

引言 2002年7月1日成立的国际刑事法院,在其通过制定的法院《证据和程序规则》里,给予红十字国际委员会(International Committee of the Red Cross)(以下简称“国际红会“)在作证方面享有豁免权.这是一条非常特殊的规定……     

Max Weber on the Labour Contract: Between Realism and Formal Legal Thought

Although Max Weber's review essay of the first part of Philipp Lotmar's The Labour Contract may appear peripheral to his overall contribution to legal sociology, it contains important insights on the relationship of law to economics, the utility of sociological empirical research for jurisprudence, the epistemological gap between 'legal dogmatics' and the sociology of law, and the fundamental distinction between state and non-state law in properly understanding the developmental logic of labour law.
In the review, far from appearing as a rigid partisan of positivistic legal formalism, Weber admits of a kind of 'legal pluralism' as a necessary path to the sociology of law, and allows some measure of realism, when celebrating Lotmar's analysis of the social facts of law as a precondition for proper juristic treatment of the labour contract. Nevertheless, Weber remained distrustful of legal realism which, for him, was founded on an epistemological confusion between 'is' and 'ought'.     

现代官僚制的经济性和工具性——马克斯·韦伯的现代官僚制理论及启示

对现代官僚制作全面深刻的理解,有赖于对其理论的奠基人马克斯·韦伯之理论文本的深入剖析。本文通过对马克斯·韦伯现代官僚制理论的梳理后认为,经济性是现代官僚制兴起的原因,工具性则是官僚制的本质,这种本质又直接导致了现代官僚制的自我权力化并产生了政治与行政之争,而制度之下的人也随之被工具化。现代官僚制在创造了惊人的管理效率的同时,也产生了大量的问题。如何在现代官僚制下实现“人是目的”这一主题,则是马克斯·韦伯理论的永久命题。     

马克斯·韦伯法律社会学中的方法论问题

作为其全部社会理论的一个组成部分,马克斯·韦伯的法律社会学是建立在一套较为系统的社会科学方法论基础之上的。正是根据这一方法论以及具体的理想类型方法,韦伯提出了法秩序的社会学概念,对法律制度进行了类型学分析,并对法律制度进行了比较研究。从根本上说,韦伯是站在外部观察者的立场上对法律制度进行探究的,但是他始终无法从根本上摆脱他所反对的价值判断。     

论韦伯的新教伦理——评《新教伦理与资本主义精神》

经济的发展需要一种文化伦理的支撑,资本主义的兴起和繁荣是多种因素综合作用的结果,马克斯.韦伯从一种文化伦理的视角论证了新教伦理与资本主义之间的生成关系,虽有失偏颇,但对我们有着重要而深刻的启迪意义,为我们提供了富于启迪意义的思路,并开辟了多种研究途径。