Published online by Cambridge University Press: 23 November 2010
Violations of international humanitarian law are not a new phenomenon. Nor is the establishment of an international criminal court to counter such violations a new idea. The first project creating a link between violations of a humanitarian treaty — that is, the Geneva Convention of 1864 for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded in Armies in the Field — and penal sanction by a permanent international judicial body was drawn up by Gustave Moynier, one of the founders of the ICRC Like so many other projects, it did not materialize, however.
1 Boissier, Pierre, History of the International Committee of the Red Cross: From Solferino to Tsushima, Henry Dunant Institute/ICRC, Geneva, 1985, pp. 197–218 Google Scholar ; Moynier, Gustave, “Note sur la création d'une institution judiciaire internationale propre à prévenir et à réprimer les infractions à la Convention de Genève”, Bulletin international des Sociétés de secours aux militaires blessés, No. 11, April 1872, pp. 122–131 Google Scholar ; Moynier, Gustave, Etude sur la Convention de Genève pour l'amélioration du sort des militaires blessés dans les armées en campagne (1864 et 1868), Cherbuliez, Paris, 1870, pp. 299–311 Google Scholar .
2 See “The administration of justice and the human rights of detainees: Question of the impunity of perpetrators of human rights violations (civil and political)”, Final Report by Mr. Joinet, pursuant to Sub-Commission decision 1996/119, 26 June 1997, UN doc. E/CN.4/Sub.2/1997/20.
3 UN General Assembly resolution 52/160 of 15 December 1997.
4 Prosecutor v. Dusko Tadic, Case No. IT-94–1-AR-72. Decision on the defence motion for interlocutory appeal on jurisdiction (2 October 1995), p. 64, para. 119.
5 Articles 49/50/129/146 of the four Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949.
6 Berman, Paul, “The ICRC's Advisory Service on International Humanitarian Law: the challenge of national implementation”, International Review of the Red Cross, No. 312, May–June 1996, pp. 338–347 CrossRefGoogle Scholar .
7 See note 5 above.
8 Dutli, María-Teresa and Pellandini, Cristina, “The International Committee of the Red Cross and the implementation of a system to repress breaches of international humanitarian law”, IRRC, May–June 1994, No. 300, pp. 240–254 CrossRefGoogle Scholar .