Since its founding in 1952, the International Commission of Jurists has inspired the international human rights movement with persistent demands that governments obey the rule of law.
The object of this volume is to present a comprehensive survey of the early history and activities of the International Commission of Jurists, highlighting its achievements in defining, developing, and promoting the Rule of Law. It seeks to give readers an awareness of the Commission's unique role in the evolution of the Rule of Law concept, which is not otherwise available. While there were several international organizations, including the Commission, working in the field of human rights following upon the adoption of the Universal Declaration, the Commission was unique in that it focused on the development of the Rule of Law as a sine qua non for the protection and advancement of human rights. The scope of this work is therefore much wider than mere identification and promotion of human rights. It deals with the principles identified by the Commission as underlying the Rule of Law and the institutions and procedure necessary to safeguard those principles; it reviews in-depth studies by eminent jurists on aspects of the Rule of Law; it surveys applications and violations of the Rule of Law in different countries or regions of the world; and it draws attention to trials of persons arrested or detained under cover of legislation patently offending against the Rule of Law. The work also covers the many initiatives taken by the Commission either by itself or in collaboration with the United Nations and other international organizations to ensure better recognition of and respect for the Rule of Law and human rights. Reference is made in this connection to different initiatives of national sections both at the regional and national level.
The International Court of Justice is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations and plays a central role in both the peaceful settlement of international disputes and the development of international law. This comprehensive Commentary on the Statute of the International Court of Justice, now in its second edition, analyses in detail not only the Statute of the Court itself but also the related provisions of the United Nations Charter as well as the relevant provisions of the Court's Rules of Procedure. Five years after the first edition was published, the second edition of the Commentary embraces current events before the International Court of Justice as well as before other courts and tribunals relevant for the interpretation and application of its Statute. The Commentary provides a comprehensive overview and analysis of all legal questions and issues the Court has had to address in the past and will have to address in the future. It illuminates the central issues of procedure and substance that the Court and counsel appearing before it face in their day-to-day work. In addition to commentary covering all of the articles of the Statute of the ICJ, plus the relevant articles of the Charter of the United Nations, the book includes three scene-setting chapters: Historical Introduction, General Principles of Procedural Law, and Discontinuation and Withdrawal. The second edition of the Commentary adds two important and instructive chapters on Counter-Claims and Evidentiary Issues. The combination of expert editors and commentators, and their assessment of new developments in the important work of the ICJ, make this a landmark publication in the field of international law.
The Model Rules of Professional Conduct provides an up-to-date resource for information on legal ethics. Federal, state and local courts in all jurisdictions look to the Rules for guidance in solving lawyer malpractice cases, disciplinary actions, disqualification issues, sanctions questions and much more. In this volume, black-letter Rules of Professional Conduct are followed by numbered Comments that explain each Rule's purpose and provide suggestions for its practical application. The Rules will help you identify proper conduct in a variety of given situations, review those instances where discretionary action is possible, and define the nature of the relationship between you and your clients, colleagues and the courts.
"This Manual is a practical aid. The principles to be applied by prosecutors in their daily work are to be found in international instruments, regional instruments and commentaries as enacted in domestic law. The Manual introduces practitioners to issues and principles of universal and regional application - practitioners in individual jurisdictions may then marry the applicable principles to provisions of the domestic laws of their own jurisdictions and thus obtain a complete code of conduct for any part of the world and for any official procedure. The Manual includes comments that may assist in that process by putting the quoted texts in a practical context."
During the last 50 years interest in human rights has grown dramatically. Whilst newspapers focus mainly on dramatic issues: unlawful killing, torture, disappearances, or violations of freedom of speech; institutions charged with the implementation of human rights (as set out in international conventions and covenants) most frequently deal with allegations of human rights violations during criminal proceedings. The increasing internationalization of the administration of criminal law means that such cases are likely to become ever more important. In this book, the case-law of the international bodies dealing with such cases is presented and critically examined by an author who has contributed to its creation for almost a quarter of a century. The European Commission and European Court of Human Rights, in particular, have accumulated a considerable quantity of case-law, which is particularly interesting because it is intended to be valid in both Anglo-Saxon and Continental systems of criminal procedure.The law of the European Convention is emphasized because of its advanced procedures and the quality and quantity of its case-law. The book will be of interest to all scholars, practitioners, and students of international criminal law.