JCCM Flashcards
Rule that states have exclusive enforcement jurisdiction over acts committed on their territory
Territoriality Principle
Grants a ship’s flag state exclusive jurisdiction over that ship and its members
Flag Principle
States possess jurisdiction over certain crimes which harm universally recognized legal interests. Includes piracy, crimes against humanity, genocide, war crimes, and maybe crime of aggression
Universality principle
Found in ICJ Art. 38 and includes:
-international conventions/treaties
-international custom
-general principles of law recognized by civilized nations
-subsidiarily, judicial decisions and teachings of scholars
Sources of law
Includes active personality, passive personality, protective, and vicarious forms of jurisdiction
Traditional Heads of Jurisdiction
jurisdiction exercised where a crime is committed on a state’s territory
Territorial Jurisdiction
Jurisdiction exercised over ships and planes registered to a certain country
Quasi-territorial jurisdiction
Type of territorial jurisdiction where crime is initiated abroad but completed in State’s territory
Objective territoriality principle
Type of territorial jurisdiction where crime is initiated in State’s territory but completed abroad
Subjective territoriality principle
Type of territorial jurisdiction where one constitutive element of crime took place on State’s territory
Constitutive element approach
Type of territorial jurisdiction where crime took place “in whole or in party” on State’s territory
Principle of Ubiquity
Type of territorial jurisdiction where crime committed outside State’s territory, but produces (substantial harmful) effects within its territory (often used in antitrust law)
Effects doctrine
States enjoy prescriptive and adjudicative criminal jurisdiction over extraterritorial conduct of its nationals, regardless of nature of the offense
Active personality (nationality) jurisdiction
States can assert prescriptive and adjudicative jurisdiction over offenses abroad where victim was State’s national
Passive personality (nationality) jurisdiction
No crime without law
Nullum crimen sine lege
States may lawfully criminalize extraterritorial conduct of non-nationals to protect fundamental national interests
Protective jurisdiction
Derived form of jurisdiction where states may exercise jurisdiction as a representative of a state with original jurisdiction, but (ordinarily) will apply its own laws
Vicarious (delegated) jurisdiction
Type of universal jurisdiction with no limits, so any UJ crime may be prosecuted by any state
Absolute universal jurisdiction
Type of universal jurisdiction with some limits–state may avoid exercising UJ if another state has a better claim
Subsidiary universal jurisdiction
Type of universal jurisdiction that cannot be exercised unless the perpetrator is physically present on the state’s territory
Universal jurisdiction requiring presence of the accused
Type of universal jurisdiction due to obligations derived from prior agreements between states
Treaty-based universal jurisdiction
Extradite or prosecute–refers to state obligation to either prosecute or extradite perpetrators of universal jurisdiction crimes
Aut dedere aut judicare
Justification for universal jurisdiction: state derives right from common interest of international community in prosecution of int. crimes—“decentralized” form of int. criminal prosecution
Cosmopolitan Justification
Justification for universal jurisdiction: state can exercise UJ as an extension of its domestic penal power
Extraterritorial dimension justification
Extraterritorial dimension extension of state penal power
Justification for universal jurisdiction, also called transnational justification: state is acting on behalf of int. community AND domestic relationship btwn victim, perp, and prosecuting state
Dual foundation justification
ICC case employing objective territoriality, constitutive elements theory, and ubiquity principle to determine that country X (not a state party) expelling people to country Y (state party) was sufficient to grant the court territorial jurisdiction
Bangladesh/Myanmar
ICC Case concerning unilateral coercive measures taken by US on country X. X argued that effects doctrine should apply, but they would’ve been better served by objective territoriality, constitutive elements approach, or ubiquity theory.
Venezuela Referral
Delegated jurisdiction case, Ukraine delegated jurisdiction to Netherlands following the downing of a plane pursuant to European Transfer of Proceedings Convention
MH17
Landmark case for universal jurisdiction AND male captus: “crimes which offended the whole of mankind and shocked the conscience of nations are grave offences against the law of nations itself”
Eichman
Mechanisms for legal assistance in gathering of criminal evidence abroad, in jurisdiction other than that in which the investigation, prosecution, or adjudication has been triggered (investigative or forum jurisdiction). Cooperation of judicial authorities ONLY.
MLA (mutual legal assistance)
Type of MLA including exchange of judicial info or voluntary interrogation of experts/witnesses
Non-coercive MLA measures
Type of MLA including search and seizure, interception of telecommunications, JITs, and undercover surveillance of criminal organizations
Intrusive MLA measures
Includes lack of formal request, double criminality, request inconsistent with state law and practice, crime involves fiscal/military/political matters (older), request would prejudice sovereignty, security, public order, or other special interests (LHC Art. 30.1(g)), double jeopardy, human rights concerns
MLA grounds for refusal
Law of the requested state–controlling for purposes of MLA and extradition
Locus regit actum
Law of the forum (where the crime is being adjudicated)
Lex fori
Law of the state where the crime occurred
Lex Loci
Bilateral treaties and conventions, including: Inter-American Convention on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters; ECOWAS; ASEAN Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance; EIO; UN Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic substances, Art. 7; UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, Art. 17; UN Convention Against Corruption, Art. 46; and UN torture and terrorism conventions, more generally
MLA Legal Regimes
legal agreement between competent authorities of two or more states for the purpose of carrying out criminal investigations. Established for fixed periods, usually 12-24 months.
JITs
a person who is extradited can be prosecuted or sentenced in the requesting state only in relation to the offence(s) for which extradition was granted
Rule of Specialty
2014 case of Liberian arrested in Belgium STILL at investigatory stage, and many victims and witnesses have now died. Demonstrates need for MLA
Martina Johnson case
“Not twice in the same thing,” prohibition against double jeopardy or prosecution of same crime twice
Ne bis in idem
Includes Extradition, MLA, transfer of criminal proceedings, and enforcement of foreign penalties
Traditional forms of legal cooperation
the formal process whereby a State requests from another state the return of a person (unlawfully at large) who is accused or convicted of a crime to stand trial or serve a sentence in the requesting state
Extradition
Older way of determining whether a crime is extraditable by simply listing all extraditable offenses in a treaty
Enumerative Method
Preferred in multilateral treaties, method of determining which offenses are extraditable where extraditable offenses are all those with a minimum level of punishment (i.e. prison term of certain duration)
Elimination Approach
Requirement for extradition that alleged offense must be criminal in both requesting and requested States—inherent to elimination approach
Dual Criminality
Two-step analysis of dual criminality for extradition purposes. First consider the law of the requested state, then compare laws of requested and requesting state. Outcome depends on jurisdiction and whether one takes an abstract or concrete approach.
Solipsistic Approach
Part of solipsistic analysis of dual criminality, more common in civil law jurisdictions. For step 1, asking whether the acts would be chargeable. For step 2, asking whether the elements of illegal activity are “substantially similar.”
In Abstracto