Principles of Direct and Superior Responsibility in International Humanitarian Law

This book is a detailed treatise on the forms of criminal responsibility arising from violations of international humanitarian law. It examines the evolution of personal responsibility and its contemporary application to war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, and traces the origin and development of such concepts as direct participation, ordering, complicity and inciting. It provides a detailed overview of the law of superior responsibility, and ascertains the nature of internal armed conflicts, the liability therein and the application of humanitarian law in such conflicts. By concentrating in a single volume the criminal aspects of humanitarian law from an immense variety of legal material – including extensive analysis of the jurisprudence of the International Criminal Tribunals for Yugoslavia and Rwanda and the International Criminal Court – this book is essential for postgraduates and academics studying International Humanitarian Law and practitioners of International Law. WINNER OF THE PAUL REUTER PRIZE, Presented by the International Committee of the Red Cross. “Ilias Bantekas’ thesis was chosen because it examines virtually every case in which international humanitarian law has been applied and interpreted, and deals with a subject of great topicality. The thesis will be a mine of information for legal experts concerned with the implementation of humanitarian law and with the responsibility of individuals under those rules.” (From the Award Citation)