Published online by Cambridge University Press: 27 April 2010
Si la littérature sur les règies du droit international humanitaire qui sʼappliquent en temps de conjlit armé a toujours été riche, l'intérêt pour les effets que peut avoir ce droit au-delà d'un conflit ne sʼest développé que récemment. À la fin de la Seconde Guerre mondiale, par exemple, la justice sʼest manifestée à travers les sentences des Tribunaux de Nuremberg et de Tokyo punissant les criminels d'une guerre révolue. Ce nʼest quʼaujourdʼhui que la communauté Internationale a songé à établir une juridiction internationale permanente chargée de juger également des crimes commis en dehors d'un conflit armé. L'auteur examine les différentes fonctions de la justice : juger pour dissuader, juger pour rétablir le droit, ou juger pour javoriser l'établissment de la paix (notamment, à travers les commissions de la paix — «Truth Commissions»). Le droit international humanitaire peut jouer un rôle important pour que cette dernière tâche puisse être accomplie par la justice.
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55 Ibid., p. 98.
56 Ibid.
57 J. Mera, “Truth and justice in the democratic government”, quoted in Roht-Arriaza, op. cit. (note 38), p. 99.
58 Hayner, op. cit. (note 38), pp. 607–8.
59 Cohen, op. cit. (note 9), p. 36.