This book is a practical, experience-based guide for advocates seeking remedies for human rights violations through the use of international institutions. Since 1948, when the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, mechanisms for addressing human rights violations have multiplied to include UN Charter based bodies, treaty-based organizations including the international criminal court, and regional institutions. Each mechanism has its own admissibility requirements: accreditation, timeliness of claims, and exhaustion of remedies. For practitioners, the maze of rules and institutions can be difficult to navigate. This book offers step-by-step approaches for maximizing the institutions’ intended effect–promotion of human rights at all levels.
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.
We now live in a world which thinks through the legislative implications of criminal justice with one eye on human rights. Human Rights and the Criminal Justice System provides comprehensive coverage of human rights as it relates to the contemporary criminal justice system. As well as being a significant aspect of international governance and global justice, Amatrudo and Blake argue here that human rights have also eclipsed the rhetoric of religion in contemporary moral discussion. This book explores topics such as terrorism, race, and the rights of prisoners, as well as existing legal structures, court practices, and the developing literature in Criminology, Law and Political Science, in order to critically review the relationship between the developing body of human rights theory and practice, and the criminal justice system. This book will be of considerable interest to those with academic concerns in this area; as well as providing an accessible, yet sophisticated, resource for upper level undergraduate and postgraduate human rights courses.
In recent times, the idea of 'victims' rights' has come to feature prominently in political, criminological and legal discourse, as well as being subject to regular media comment. The concept nevertheless remains inherently elusive, and there is still considerable ambiguity as to the origin and substance of such rights. This monograph deconstructs the nature and scope of the rights of victims of crime against the backdrop of an emerging international consensus on how victims ought to be treated and the role they ought to play. The essence of such rights is ascertained not only by surveying the plethora of international standards which deal specifically with crime victims, but also by considering the potential cross-applicability of standards relating to victims of abuse of power, with whom they have much in common. In this book Jonathan Doak considers the parameters of a number of key rights which international standards suggest victims ought to be entitled to. He then proceeds to ask whether victims are able to rely upon such rights within a domestic criminal justice system characterised by structures, processes and values which are inherently exclusionary, adversarial and punitive in nature.
Recommended by The Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner, Dame Sara Thornton, in her 2020 report on “The Modern Slavery Act 2015 Statutory Defence: A call for evidence” "Rarely can the talent of so many practitioners be accessed in one convenient resource." Crimeline Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery Law and Practice, Second Edition provides guidance to those who deal directly or indirectly with those affected by modern slavery and trafficking, employ or manage a workforce, or have oversight of supply chains. It enables practitioners to deal with issues of law and procedure by providing an accessible, but comprehensive, summary of the points that need to be considered in order to plan a coherent litigation or compliance strategy. This Second Edition focuses on areas which have become of critical importance such as: - The modern slavery defence - Corporate accountability and modern slavery compliance statements - National Referral Mechanism for victims - How to identify victims of trafficking and modern slavery - How to elicit key information from victims of trafficking and modern slavery - Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings - The EU Anti-trafficking Directive This highly accessible guide draws on the expertise and experience of professionals in different disciplines, so that practitioners can receive guidance for their own practice and an understanding of the inter-relationship with other practice areas. Criminal, immigration, commercial and civil lawyers will find this an essential guide. It is also important for businesses when undertaking human rights due diligence assessments, as well as for those who work in law enforcement, the judiciary and academia.
The Rights of Victims in Criminal Justice Proceedings for Serious Human Rights Violations addresses a question of critical importance to policy-makers, international lawyers, academics, and affected societies throughout the world: Should victims of serious human rights violations be granted under international law the rights of access to and participation in criminal proceedings before international, hybrid and domestic tribunals? Juan Carlos Ochoa applies a thorough analysis of international and comparative domestic law and practice to this question, taking into account a host of international human rights instruments and case law, the theory, law and practice of international and hybrid criminal tribunals, the law and practice in several domestic jurisdictions, and many theoretical and empirical studies. After first determining the current state of, and emerging trends in, international law in this area, he argues that the lack of recognition of these rights under customary international law is inadequate, because access to and participation in criminal proceedings for victims of these infringements are based on several internationally recognised human rights and principles, contribute to the expressivist objectives of these procedures, and are consistent with the principles that inform the enforcement of criminal law in democratic States. On this basis, Ochoa convincingly suggests concrete reforms.
This book provides a comprehensive analysis of the presumption of innocence from both a practical and theoretical point of view. Throughout the book a framework for the presumption of innocence is developed. The book approaches the right to presumption of innocence from an international human rights perspective using specific examples drawn from international criminal law. The result is a framework for understanding the right that is grounded in human rights law. This framework can then be applied across different national and international systems. When applied, it can help determine when the presumption of innocence is being infringed upon, eroded, violated, and ensure that the presumption of innocence is protected. The book is an essential resource for students, academics and practitioners working in the areas of human rights, criminal law, international criminal law, and evidence. The themes also have a more general application to national jurisdictions and legal theory.
This book deals with human rights in European criminal law after the Lisbon Treaty. Doubtless the Lisbon Treaty has constituted a milestone in the development of European criminal justice. Not only has the reform following the Treaty given binding force to the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, but furthermore it has paved the way for unprecedented forms of supranational legislation. In this scenario, the enforcement of individual rights in criminal matters has become a core goal of EU legislation. Alongside these developments, new interactions between national and supranational jurisprudences have emerged, which have significantly contributed to a human rights-oriented approach to European criminal law. The book analyses the main developments of this complex phenomenon from an interdisciplinary perspective. Criminal and procedural law, constitutional law and comparative law must thus be combined to achieve a full understanding of these developments and of their impact on national law.
The Drugs Offences Handbook provides a comprehensive, focused and concise analysis of the often complex evidential and litigation issues that relate to drugs cases. The law relating to drugs has the broadest span of any specialist area within crime. Evidentially it includes the forensic examination of drugs themselves and evidence linking individuals to drugs, as well as cell site analysis, interrogation of computers and mobile telephones, police powers of search, and the utilisation of police 'expert' witnesses. From a litigation perspective, drugs cases (together with financial crime) make up the vast majority of cases giving rise to money laundering and proceeds of crime issues. In complex supply and importation cases, the financial aspect frequently arises within the evidence as well. Laid out in three broad sections covering Offences, Evidence and Post-conviction, The Drugs Offences Handbook provides expert guidance on key areas such as: - Manufacture and cultivation - Importation - Possession and supply - Police powers of search and seizure - Sentencing and confiscation With reference to all relevant legislation including the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016, the Drugs Act 2005, the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 as well as analysis of leading cases such as R v Hussain (Shabbir), R v Green and R v Wright, The Drugs Offences Handbook is an essential resource for criminal law practitioners as well as professionals such as drugs agencies, counselling agencies and expert witnesses. Tim Moloney QC, Tom Stevens, Paul Mason, Abigail Bright and Harriet Johnson are all members of Doughty Street Chambers. Steven Bird is the founder and director of Birds Solicitors. The Criminal Practice Series is a series of practical court-style guides covering a number of discrete, specialist areas. They assist users to identify cases, rules and regulations relevant to the specific topic quickly and easily. For more information please visit www.bloomsburyprofessional.com/criminal
The United Nations has established a right to the truth to be enjoyed by victims of gross violations of human rights. The origins of the right stem from the need to provide victims and relatives of the missing with a right to know what happened. It encompasses the verification and full public disclosure of the facts associated with the crimes from which they or their relatives suffered. The importance of the right to the truth is based on the belief that, by disclosing the truth, the suffering of victims is alleviated. This book analyses the emergence of this right, as a response to an understanding of the needs of victims, through to its development and application in two particular legal contexts: international human rights law and international criminal justice. The book examines in detail the application of the right through the case law and jurisprudence of international tribunals in the human rights and also the criminal justice context, as well as looking at its place in transitional justice. The theoretical foundations of the right to the truth are considered as well as the various objectives appropriate for different truth-seeking mechanisms. The book then goes on to discuss to what extent it can be understood, constructed and applied as a hard, legally enforceable right with correlating duties on various people and institutions including state agencies, prosecutors and judges.
