Exam Flashcards
What are some forms of unfairness that could amount to an Article 6 flagrant denial of justice based on Othman & Soering?
- Conviction in absentia
- A trial that is summary in nature
- Detention without any access to an independent and impartial tribunal
- Deliberate and systematic refusal of a lawyer
- Evidence obtained by torture
What Questions did the Othman case raise when it comes to ensuring the quality of assurances from requesting states?
- can any assurances that are made be trusted based on the state’s human rights record?
- What are the quality of the assurances and can these assurances be trusted?
What are some of the assurances a requesting state needs to give based on Othman?
- Specificity
- Legally binding
- Ability of monitoring
- Whether or not the state giving assurances is a party to the ECHR
- Verifiability in practice
- History of ill-treatment of that person
- Quality of interstate relationship
- Transparency
- Legal status treatment
There is only a breach of ECHR in case of these cumulative conditions:
- Presence of the individual on that territory and
- Exposing that person to a real risk of Article 2, 3 or, serious Article 5 or 6 violations in another state or exceptionally an Article 8 violation
Article 3 (prohibition on torture) Violations
Some known prison conditions, a sentence of life imprisonment without parole and concerns about the medical treatment of the suspect
Article 6 (right to a fair trial) Violations
Lack of practical information, like a lack of information on whether a lawyer will be provided free of charge
Article 8 (Right to family life) Violations
Only in cases of exceptional circumstances can the right to family life stand in the way of extradition
What are the three alternatives to extradition?
- Disguised extradition
- Luring
- Abduction/kidnapping
What are extradition irregularities related to?
- Surrender
- Pre-trial detention
- Offical arrest
What is disguised extradition?
- When a state uses its immigration laws to deny the right to stay in the state.
- This is not a violation of state sovereignty because it requires the consent of the deporting state.
- It is also much harder to prove that deportation was intended to circumnavigate traditional extradition
What are the facts/take-away of the Bozano case?
Facts: this is an example of disguised extradition where an Italian national murdered a Swiss girl and fled to France. He was tried in Italy in absentia, which prevented France from extraditing him, so France instead deported him to Switzerland where they knew he would eventually be sent back to Italy.
Takeaway: You do not have to navigate the state’s sovereignty because you have the consent of the state to deport.
What is luring?
Luring is a method by which “deceit, fraud, and tricks” are sued to lure a suspect from one state to another. You do not usually need consent from the residing state.
What are the facts/takeaways of the Yunis case?
Facts: A Jordanian who participated in a plane hijacking was lured to Cyprus with the promise of a drug deal only to be arrested by FBI agents
Takeaway: Luring does not always violate state sovereignty because the luring may not take place on another state’s soil.
What is abduction/kidnapping in the context of alternatives to extradition?
Abduction/kidnapping is the removal of a person from the jurisdiction of one state to another by the threat or use of force. The threat or use of force does not need to come from the wanting state. Usually, state sovereignty is violated here (see Uruguayan cases).
What is the Eichmann case and its relationship to abduction/kidnapping?
Eichmann was abducted in Argentina and tried in England.
What rights are violated by Male Captus?
- State sovereignty
- Human Rights
- Rule of law
Why is state sovereignty violated by Male Captus?
- Because it violates independent sovereignty (internal: only the state has authority over its territory and external: respect from other states and respect other states’ sovereignty)
- The principle of non-intervention
- An encroachment onto a state’s police powers
- Only disguised extradition does not harm state sovereignty
What are some exceptions to violating state sovereignty?
- Frely given and clearly established consent of the residing state
- Self-defence (see the Caroline Principles: imminence means immediate, overwhelming, and no other means of repelling)
- Humanitarian grounds
What is Male Captus Bene Detentus?
Wrongly captured, properly detained
What are the three main positions on Male Captus Bene detentus?
- They were wrongly captured, tough luck
- Because of these wrongful circumstances we will refuse to exercise jurisdiction
- Other remedies, such as financial compensation
What is the position of domestic courts on Male Captus Bene Detentus?
The traditional answer to male captus bene detentus is we don’t have the right to inquiry. BUT in the Bennet case, the UK court refused to claim jurisdiction for the unlawful capture
What is the abuse of process doctrine in relation to male captus cases?
The abuse of process doctrine is when capture offends the court’s sense of justice and propriety. A judge would have the discretion to stay the proceedings because it would be unfair to even try the suspect.
Tell me about the U.S. case of Alverez-Manchain
The forcible abduction of a suspect from Mexico, despite the existence of an extradition treaty between the two nations, did not preclude the court from hearing the case
What is the position of human rights mechanisms on male captus cases?
The state is always responsible in case of extraterritorial force, unless that force is carried out by a private individual
What is the stance of international criminal tribunals on male captus cases?
Abuse of process is not accepted. State sovereignty is not violated if a tribunal and not a state is the requesting party (Nikolic ICTY case). Human rights are only violated if they are egregious - extensive pre-trial detention is not enough (Barayagwiza ICTR case/Lubanga ICC case)
What are the five accepted bases for jurisdiction under international law?
- Territorial
- Active Personality
- Passive Personality
- Protective Principle
- Delegated jurisdiction