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Team Number:-ALS 2 / M 17
Defense Counsel
The International Criminal Law Moot Court
Competition, 2014
Organized by
Amity Law School, Centre-II
Amity University
Uttar PradeshIndia
1. The Prosecutor vs. Jingo Crackle
2. The Prosecutor vs. Lama Suki
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STATEMENT OF JURISDICTION
The accused persons challenge the jurisdiction of this Honble Court by virtue of article
19(2)(a) of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1) LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS..3
2) INDEX OF AUTHORITIES.4
3) STATEMENT OF FACTS.6
4) ISSUES.11
5) SUMMARY OF ARGUMENTS12
6) WRITTEN ARGUMENTS.14
7) PRAYER..23
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1) LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
1) ICC- The International Criminal Court under the Rome Statute
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2) INDEX OF AUTHORITIES
Cases
1) Prosecutor v. Akayesu, ICTR-96-4-T, 02/09/1998,
2) Mugesera v. Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, 93AJIL (1999) 529.
3) Prosecutor v. Sikiricaet al., (Case No. IT-95-8-T), para. 89
4) Prosecutor v. Kayishema and Ruzindana, (Case No. ICTR-95-1-T), Judgment,21/05/1999, para. 94
5) Prosecutor v. Tadic (Case No. IT-94-1-T), Opinion and Judgment, 07/05/1997
6) Arrest Warrant case, supra note 9, at para. 54
7) Djibouti v. France), ICJ judgment of 4 June 2008, at para. 170 )8) Ghaddafi case, Arrt no. 1414 (2001), 125 ILR 456
9) R. v. Bow Street Stipendiary Magistrate and others
Reports and Articles
1) Bruno Simma, The Charter of the United Nations: A Commentary (Oxford University
Press , Oxford 2nded. 2002) Randelzhoffer on Article 2(4) MN 29
2) U.S. Secretary of State, Report to the President on the Results of the San FranciscoConference (1945), at 90-91
3) Berld Martenczuk, The Security Council, the International Court and JudicialReview: What Lessons from Lockerbie, 10 No. 3EJIL (1999) 517, 534.)
4) Berld Martenczuk, The Security Council, the International Court and Judicial
Review: What Lessons from Lockerbie, 10 No. 3EJIL (1999) 517, 534.)
5) D.M. Walker, Oxford Companion to Law (Oxford, ed. 1980) 1246.
6) The doctrine of Immunity from prosecution International law
7) S.D. Murphy Contemporary Practice of the US Relating to International Law, 96
AJIL (2002)237, 247.)
8) W.J. Fenrick The Law Applicable to Targeting and Proportionality after OperationAllied Force: A View from the outside, 3 YIHL (2000) 53, 77. )
9) A The Scope of Immunity Ratione Personae: Immunity from Criminal Process for
International Crimes - Taken from the The European Journal of International Law
Vol. 21 no. 4
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Statutes
1) Geneva Convention
2) International Criminal Court, Roman Statute
3) United Nations Charter
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3) STATEMENT OF FACTS
1. Nooba gained independence in 1950s from a 200 years long colonial rule. The country
was portioned on the basis of religious demographics. This partition led to a short but bloody
civil war between two religious groups, i.e. Dij and Hist. The country that seceded from
Nooba was Kimatan, bordering the northwest part of Nooba. After the huge migration during
and after the partition, Nooba had 81% Dij, 14% Hist and 5% others, and Kimatan had 98%
Hist and 1% Dij and 1% others.
2. A substantial minority of Hists lived in Sutasat, the northwest of Nooba. After the
partition, Kimatan laid its claims on Sutas, as majority of people in the area were Hists.
Nooba and Kimatan fought four wars over Sutas, i.e. in years 1957, 1965, 1971 and 1999.
3. Some Hists of Sutas, favoured accession of Sutas to Kimataan, and some favoured
complete independence. The dispute between the Government of Nooba and local Hists over
greater autonomy gained momentum in 1988.
CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS:
1998:
In 1998, an internal conflict arose between Hists in Sutas and the Government of Nooba over
local elections. They complained about systematic discrimination and mistreatment by
Noobian authorities. In 1999, a series of demonstrations, strikes and attacks on the
Government of Nooba began.
2000:
Under the leadership of Luke Skittle, the Hists in Sutas organized a rebel group, which
favouredSutas accession to Kimatan, which called itself the Hist Liberation Front (HLF).
HLF launched a series of coordinated attacks against several major Noobian cities.
2003:
The conflict escalated. Nooba accused the Kimatan Government and Army of supporting and
training HLF to fight in Sutas.
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2009:
In October 2009, a general election took place in Nooba, in which the Dij Peoples
Party ousted the Noobian Nationalist Party. On 24 October 2009, the new Prime
Minister of Nooba, Lama Suki of Dij Peoples Party, in his victory speech to the
nation called upon the Dij people to join hands to get rid of Hists from the country.
As a result, the tension between the two countries, Nooba and Kimatan increased.
The Kimatan Government and Hist religious groups in Kamatan condemned Lama
Sukis victory speech. The Kimatan army increased its activities around the border
under the command of Colonel Jingo Crackle, protector of Luke Skittle.
2010:
On 25 February 2010, a series of explosions took place throughout Sutas, each of
which targeted a police station, security installations manned by Noobian officers and
Dij residential areas. HLF claimed responsibility for the bombings. Hundreds of Dij
women were raped by HLF rebels. Tens of thousands of SutasDijs emigrated as a
result of violence.
The Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of Nooba, Lama Suki, deployed 600,000
army personnel in Sutas equipped with emergency powers. According to Hist people,
this led to constant harassment of the civilian population. The army personnel arrested
ten young civilians of the Hist religion under the suspicion of their involvement in
exploding bombs at one of the security posts in Sutas. The detainees were humiliated,
their hands and legs were tied, and they were kept in solitary confinement for endless
hours without food and water. The Amnesty International reported that the detainees
were choked to death using Chlorine and Chloropicrin.
A coalition of international human rights organisations including Human Rights
Watch, the International Federation for Human Rights, and the Amnesty International
reported the use of heavy arms, explosive and chemical weapons in populated areas
with no discrimination between civilians and army. The rebels are engaged in ethnic
cleansing by exterminating Sutas Dijs. Various reports claim that the Nooba troops
have been engaged in widespread humanitarian abuses and have engaged in
extrajudicial killings. The International Commission of Jurist reported that a Nooba
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Army Unit is alleged to have forcefully entered in the houses of Hists people and
raped 30 to 100 women aged between 13 and 70. The Government's inability to
protect the people from both its own troops and the rebel forces led to the erosion of
support for the Government.
(Note : Nooba and Kimatan both are members of the United Nations. Both are parties
to the Geneva Conventions of 1949, the Convention on the Prevention and
Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, 1948, the International Convention on Civil
and Political Rights, 1966 and other International Humanitarian Law Conventions
which prohibit the use of certain weapons during the hostilities. Nooba is not a
signatory to and thus also not a state party to the Rome Statute of International
Criminal Court, 1998; Kimatan has been a state party to the ICC Statute since August
2000.)
2013:
On 29 November 2013 the United Nations Security Council convened an emergency
meeting. Acting under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter and Article 13 (b) of Rome
Statute, the Council vide Resolution 2019 referred the situation since 24 October 2009 to the
International Criminal Court (ICC) and urged all states to co-operate with the Court, whether
or not it was party to the Rome Statute. Nooba refused to recognise the courts jurisdiction.
2014:
On 15 January 2014, the Prosecutor submitted to the Pre-Trial Chamber two
applications for an arrest warrant for Colonel Jingo Crackle and Lama Suki pursuant
to Article 58 of the Statute. The Prosecutors application was based on the following
charges:
Charges against Colonel Jingo Crackle
Since 25 February 2010 in Sutas, Colonel Jingo Crackle with HLF jointly committed, as a
joint criminal enterprise, within the meaning of Article 25(3) (a) of the Statute:
1. Crimes against Humanity under Article 7(2) of the International Criminal Court Statute
(the Statute);
2. war crimes by intentionally directing an attack against a civilian population as such or
against individual civilians not taking direct part in hostilities under Article 8(2)(b)(i) of the
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Statute; wilful killings under Article 8(2)(a)(i); destruction of property under Article
8(2)(b)(xiii) and committing rape under Article 8 (2)(b)(xxii) of the Statute;
3. Responsibility of the Commander and other superiors of HLF and their actions in Sutas
under Article 28 of the Statute.
Charges against Lama Suki
Lama Suki was charged with the following crimes:
1. On 24 October 2009 and on subsequent dates Lama Suki committed incitement to
genocide under Article 6 and Article 25 (3) (e) of the Statute;
2. war crime of inhuman treatment and unlawful confinement of ten young civilian of Hist
religion in Sutas under Article 8 (2) (a) (ii)& (vii) of the Statute;
International Criminal Law Moot Court Competition, 2014
3. Responsibility of the Commander and the actions of the Noobian army in Sutas against
civilian population under Article 28 of the Statute; directing use of prohibited weapons under
Article 8 (2) (b)(xx) of the International Criminal Court.
On 22 January 2014 the Pre-Trial Chamber issued arrest warrants for Colonel Jingo
Crackle and Lama Suki. It requested all other State parties to the Rome Statute to
cooperate within their jurisdiction in the arrest and surrender of Colonel Jingo Crackle
and Lama Suki.
On 1 February 2014, Lama Suki travelled to Zydan to participate in an annual summit
of group seven regional states. Although Zydan is a state party to the Rome Statute
since 2008, it did not arrest Lama Suki, taking the position that doing so would violate
his Head of State Immunity.
On 2 February 2014, Colonel Jingo Crackle visited Meran, a Hist majority country
and a non-state party to attend a multi religious conference. The conference venue
was on the border with Astram, a state party to Roman Statute. Colonel Jingo Crackle
remained in Meran territory, when he was approached by private security staff for a
security check. Understanding it to take place in Astram, he refused, and was thereby
forcibly removed, his name discovered on the ICC warrant when he was identified,
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and taken into custody at Astram on 3 February 2014.
On 4 February 2014, the accused claimed unlawful arrest and abduction to Astram in
a surrender hearing which the National Court and responsible Minister of Astram
rejected in light of Article 59 (4) of the Rome Statute.
The two cases have been brought by the Prosecutor before the Pre-Trial Chamber for
the confirmation of charges set out in the arrest warrant:
(i) The Prosecutor v. Colonel Jingo Crackle;
(ii) The Prosecutor vs. Lama Suki.
Prior to the confirmation hearing the Pre-Trial Chamber received 84 applications from
the residents of Sutas, nationals of Nooba claiming excessive atrocities from HLF. All
victims have been granted the right to participate in the confirmation hearing. The
victims under protection are referred to as nos. W01-W84.
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4) ISSUES
The Prosecutor vs Colonel Jingo Crackle
1) PROPOSED CHARGES ARE BASELESS AND THE COURT HAS NO
JURISDICTION
2) RESOLUTION 2019 IS NOT IN ACCORDANCE WITH A PRINCIPLE OF THE
UNITED NATIONS
3) COLONEL JINGO CRACKLE NOT LIABLE FOR PROSECUTION IN ANY CASE
The Prosecutor vs Lama Suki
1) CHARGES AGAINST LAMA SUKI DO NOT CONSTITUTE A COGNIZABLE CASE
AGAINST HUMANITY UNDER THE STATUTE
2) HEAD OF STATE IMMUNITY
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5) SUMMARY OF ARGUMENTS
The Prosecutor vs Colonel Jingo Crackle
1) PROPOSED CHARGES ARE BASELESS AND THE COURT HAS NO
JURISDICTION
There is no proof about any kind of connection between Colonel Jingo Crackle
and Luke Skittle. There are baseless allegations made about the same. The crimes
that have taken place are committed by the HLF and it takes total responsibility
for the same. And as there is absence of any connection, Colonel Jingo Crackle
cannot be charged.
2) RESOLUTION 2019 IS NOT IN ACCORDANCE WITH A PRINCIPLE OF THE
UNITED NATIONS
The resolution itself cannot stand as per the article in the Roman ICC statute
and also the articles in the Geneva convention. Therefore the case does not
stand in the first place.
3) COLONEL JINGO CRACKLE NOT LIABLE FOR PROSECUTION IN ANY CASE
Liability being totally based on establishment of a relation between ColonelJingo Crackle and Luke Skittle. Also Colonel Jingo Crackle cannot be
prosecuted for acts that are authorized by the state.
The Prosecutor vs Lama Suki
1) CHARGES AGAINST LAMA SUKI DO NOT CONSTITUTE A COGNIZABLE
CASE AGAINST HUMANITY UNDER THE STATUTE
The various charges do not stand as, the circumstances of the events
when taken into consideration show us that Lama Suki cannot be made
criminally liable for the atrocities. And Lama Suki has done reasonably
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everything in his power to prevent such atrocities from happening in the
first place.
2) HEAD OF STATE IMMUNITY
Lama Suki enjoys Head of State Immunity and therefore he cannot be
forced to submit in front of the ICC.
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6) WRITTEN ARGUMENTS
The Prosecutor vs Colonel Jingo Crackle
1) PROPOSED CHARGES ARE BASELESS AND THE COURT HAS NO
JURISDICTION
(a) Colonel Jingo Crackle is prosecuted as a joint criminal enterprise, within the
meaning of Article 25(3)(a) of the Roman Statute of the International Criminal Court
(ICC) which states that crimes are punishable if a person -
Commits such a crime, whether as an individual, jointly with another or through
another person, regardless of whether that other person is criminally responsible;
In the present scenario, the only link between Colonel Jingo Crackle and Luke Skittle
is and allegation that the Hist Liberation Front(HLF) is getting help from the Kimatan
government and army. Furthermore Jingo Crackle is referred to as the protector of
Luke Skittle. These are mere allegations upon Colonel Jingo Crackle.
The crimes that have been committed were due to the internal rebellions and were
also committed by the citizens of Nooba and Colonel Jingo Crackle had no role in it.
He did not directly or indirectly support the movement.
The total responsibility of the bombings and the atrocities have been taken by the
HLF. Therefore as there being no link between Colonel Jingo Crackle and the HLF,
and also the allegations are baseless and are without a shred of conclusive evidence,
the arrest of Colonel Jingo Crackle is without a just cause.
(b) It should be taken into account that as Article 5 of the Roman ICC Statute state the
crimes that come under the jurisdiction of the ICC. We see that as per our previous
argument, there has not been any direct involvement of Colonel Jingo Crackle with
respect of the atrocities that took place throughout Sutas as on 25th February 2010 and
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also post that date. The charges were framed on the basis of indirect involvement.
And these charges are without any conclusive proof.
It should be noted that the HLF that is the rebellion group in Nooba, which took the
responsibility of the attacks were citizens of Nooba and were in no way related to
Colonel Jingo Crackle, and therefore this was the internal matter of Nooba. As nosuch crime did take place in Kimatan or by involvement of Colonel Jingo Crackle, the
court has no jurisdiction to conduct a trial against Colonel Jingo Crackle and accuse
him of the charges.
2) RESOLUTION 2019 IS NOT IN ACCORDANCE WITH A PRINCIPLE OF THE
UNITED NATIONS
THEarticle 2(4) of the UN Charter, prohibits the use of force to the international relations of
states, i.e.,not with regard to their internal situations, which, according to article 2(7), belong
to States domestic jurisdiction. As stated in Bruno Simma, The Charter of the United
Nations: A Commentary (Oxford University Press , Oxford 2nd ed. 2002) Randelzhoffer on
Article 2(4) MN 29.
A civil war is not in itself a breach of international peace. As we see in the present
scenario, the atrocities were going on in Sutas that is a part of Nooba and the
responsibility of the same was taken up by HLF which was also a rebellious organization
which contained Nooba citizens. Therefore this was an internal situation for Nooba and
this should be tried in its National court. Colonel Jango Crackle is a third party and he
should not be involved in the same.
The Councils authority exclusively depends on its acceptance by the member States.
This acceptance will not be enhanced if the Council claims for itself a place above the
Charter. On the contrary, an authority that negates its legal foundations negates itself.
In view of the aforesaid legal reasoning, Resolution 2019 is not in accordance with a cardinalprinciple of the UN.
RESOLUTION 2019 IS NOT IN ACCORDANCE WITH ARTICLE 39 OF THE UN
CHARTER.
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Article 39 is the single most important provision of the Charter, ( U.S. Secretary of State,
Report to the President on the Results of the San Francisco Conference (1945), at 90-
91.)
it is the key to the broad powers of the Security Council under Chapter VII of the Charter.
(Berld Martenczuk, The Security Council, the International Court and Judicial Review:
What Lessons from Lockerbie, 10 No. 3EJIL (1999) 517, 534.)
Without a determination that a given situation poses either a threat to the peace or constitutes
a breach of the peace or act of aggression, the Council cannot take enforcement measures
under Chapter VII of the Charter, as it has done in the instant case. This is borne out by both
the authoritative commentaries on the Charter and the practice of the Security Council itself.
( Berld Martenczuk, The Security Council, the International Court and Judicial Review:
What Lessons from Lockerbie, 10 No. 3EJIL (1999) 517, 534.)
There is no investigation done on part of the Security Council
1. In view of the war crimes and crimes against humanity that had occurred in Nooba, the
Security Council has enacted provisions under Chapter VII of the UN Charter without
prior investigation and totally based this decision on various reporting agencies.
2. Therefore, Resolution 2019 is not in accordance with article 39 of the UN Charter.RESOLUTION 2019 IS VOID AND WITHOUT ANY LEGAL EFFECT UPON THE
MEMBER STATES.
When the Security Council reaches a decision which is ultra vires,in the sense that a
procedural requirement contained in the Charter is clearly violated or ignored, then the
normal legal consequence would be that such a decision would be void and without legal
effect upon the Member States. ( D.M. Walker, Oxford Companion to Law (Oxford, ed.
1980) 1246. The doctrine of ultra vires and the consequences of such acts as being void is
widely recognized in numerous legal systems and can be considered to be a general principle
of law. V.Gowlland Debbas, The International Court and the Security Council, 88 AJIL
(1994) 643, 672.)
3. In the instant case, the Security Council has not conducted any investigations under
article 34 of the UN Charter to determine whether there existed any threat to the peace,
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breach of peace, or act of aggression in Nooba. Thus, Resolution 2019 is ultra vires;in the
sense that a procedural requirement contained in the Charter has been clearly ignored.
4. Therefore, the legal consequence is that Resolution 2019 is void and without legal effect
upon the Member States.
3) COLONEL JINGO CRACKLE NOT LIABLE FOR PROSECUTION IN ANY
CASE
Assuming involvement of Colonel Jingo Crackle in helping the HLF , he cannot be
prosecuted as it was through the orders of the Kimatan army the activities at the border were
increased. These orders were the after effects of the victory speech given by Lama Suki. The
actions that colonel Jingo Crackle would have taken would be authorized by the state and
therefore they are lawful as they have been carried out under due authorization by the law of
the land. By the doctrine of Immunity from prosecution.
Thus the acts of indirect influence over the HLF as per the charges that are put under Article
25(3)(a) of the Roman ICC statute would fall under the acts that are authorized by the state
and thus Colonel Jingo Crackle would be immune from prosecution.
As we see Colonel Jingo Crackle has no direct command over the HLF, he cannot be held
responsible for each and every act as he did not have control of the rebels.
2) The charges of war crimes do not hold against colonel Jingo Crackle as the
Colonel has no leadership over the rebels. He was not their commander. The HLF
functioned under the Ledership of Lama Suki and therefore it is Lama Suki who is
responsible for the actions of the HLF.
3) Colonel Jingo Crackle is not the superior or the commander of HLF and therefore
cannot be held responsible for the attacks under Section 28 of the Statute.
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The Prosecutor vs Lama Suki
1) CHARGES AGAINST LAMA SUKI DO NOT CONSTITUTE A COGNIZABLE
CASE AGAINST HUMANITY UNDER THE STATUTE.
Charge for incitement to commit genocide
Lama suki has not committed any offence. He did not incite anyone as given under articl
25(3)(e) of the Roman ICC statute. His speech was misinterpreted. He did say to get rid of
the Hists but this statement was in context to discussion of the unfruitful governance, of the
previous government especially when it came to deal with the problems caused by the HLF.
When he said to get rid of the Hists it was those Hists who were a part of the HLF. As here
we can see that the HLF actions have given rise to various cause of actions. It should be duly
noted that in the current scenario, the hists werent intentionally targeted; they were the ones
who initiated the atrocities. Lama Suki did his best to preserve law and order in the Sutas.
For incitement leading to genocide, the mens rea required for this crime lies in the intent to
directly prompt or provoke another to commit genocide. The person who is inciting to
commit genocide must have himself the specific intent to commit genocide. Held in
Prosecutor v. Akayesu, ICTR-96-4-T, 02/09/1998, para 560; William Schabas,
Mugesera v. Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, 93AJIL (1999) 529.
We know that Lama Suki never had such an intent and as per our arguments made above his
reference to the HLF was misunderstood as a reference to all Hists in common. He totally
lacked intent to incite genocide.
Charge for commiting genocide
Similarly genocide did not take place. The most important element of the crime of genocide
is that of intention. The act must be committed by the offender with the intention of
specifically harming or causing hurt to the members of a religion, community or a gene pool.
Here there is no question of intention or specific targeting of a religion or a group as here we
can clearly see that the action taken by the armed forces was not an action but was a reaction
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to the atrocities committed by the HLF. It was an effort to preserve law and order in the
country and also to preserve life and property.
As held inProsecutor v. Sikiricaet al., (Case No. IT-95-8-T), para. 89 A Trial Chamber of
the ICTY in Sikirica observed that the group must be targeted, and not merely individuals
within it. The court added that this is the meaning to be ascribed to the words as such in the
definition of genocide.
As held in Prosecutor v. Kayishema and Ruzindana, (Case No. ICTR-95-1-T),
Judgment, 21/05/1999, para. 94. And According to the Trial Chamber of the ICTY, a
policy must exist to commit these acts: Prosecutor v. Tadic (Case No. IT-94-1-T),
Opinion and Judgment, 07/05/1997, para. 655.
Genocide is an organised and not a spontaneous crime. A Trial Chamber of the ICTR in
Kayishema and Ruzindana observed that it is not easy to carry out genocide without a plan or
organization. Thus in the given scenario, there was lack of systematic plan as well as in
intention, the military troops acted with a view to reestablish government control in the Sutas.
Charge for committing war crimes
Lama Suki should not be charged under Article 8(2)(a)(ii)&(vii) of the Roman ICC statute.
These sections relate to torture, inhuman treatment, unlawful deportation and unlawful
confinement.
We know about the scenario in Nooba when Lama Suki was forced to deploy the military to
establish peace. There was no law and order therefore emergency orders were given to the
military in order to restore the peace. Due to the flow of weapons to the HLF, this led to
greater damage and therefore the military had to take measures to restrict the damage and
bring the area back into control.
Ciivil areas were harmed due to use of heavy explosives but this was not with the intent to
harm the civil population but was due to mistakes or technical flaws.
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2) HEAD OF STATE IMMUNITY
Taken from the The European Journal of International Law Vol. 21 no. 4
A The Scope of Immunity Ratione Personae: Immunity from Criminal Process for
International Crimes
It is clear that senior officials who are accorded immunity ratione personae will be hindered
in the exercise of their international functions if they are arrested and detained whilst in a
foreign state. For this reason, this type of immunity, where applicable, is commonly
regarded as prohibiting absolutely the exercise of criminal jurisdiction by states. The
absolute nature of the immunity ratione personae means that it prohibits the exercise of
criminal jurisdiction not only in cases involving the acts of these individuals in theirofficial capacity but also in cases involving private acts.(Arrest Warrant case,supra note
9, at para. 54; Fox, supra note 1, at 694. See also the treaty provisions cited supra at
note 5. )Also, the rationale for the immunity means that it applies whether or not the act in
question was done at a time when the official was in office or before entry to office. (
Arrest Warrant case,supra note 9, at paras 5455. ) What is important is not the nature
of the alleged activity or when it was carried out, but rather whether the legal process
invoked by the foreign state seeks to subject the official to a constraining act of authority at
the time when the official was entitled to the immunity. Thus, attempts to arrest or
prosecute these officials would be a violation of the immunity whilst invitations by a
foreign state for the official to testify or provide information voluntarily would not.( Ibid.,
at paras 55, 7071; Case Concerning Certain Questions of Mutual Assistance in
Criminal Matters (Djibouti v. France), ICJ judgment of 4 June 2008, at para. 170
)However, since this type of immunity is conferred, at least in part, in order to permit free
exercise by the official of his or her international functions, the immunity exists for only as
long as the person is in office.
In the Arrest Warrant case, the ICJ held that Foreign Ministers are entitled to immunity
ratione personae, and further held that the absolute nature of the immunity from criminal
process accorded to a serving Foreign Minister ratione personae subsists even when it is
alleged that he has committed an international crime and applies even when the Foreign
Minister is abroad on a private visit.(Arrest Warrant case,supra note 9, at para. 55. )The
Court stated:
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It has been unable to deduce . . . that there exists under customary international law any
form of exception to the rule according immunity from criminal jurisdiction and
inviolability to incumbent Ministers for Foreign Affairs, where they are suspected of
having committed war crimes or crimes against humanity.14
The principle that immunity ratione personae extends even to cases involving allegations ofinternational crimes must be taken as applying to all those serving state officials and
diplomats possessing this type of immunity.15 Indeed the principle is uncontroversial and has
been widely applied by national courts in relevant cases.( Ghaddafi case, Arrt no. 1414
(2001), 125 ILR 456 (France: Cour de Cassation); Castro case (Spain: Audiencia
Nacional, 1999), cited by Cassese,supra note 15, at 272 n. 20;Re Sharon and Yaron, 42
ILM (2003) 596 (Belgium: Cour de Cassation);R. v. Bow Street Stipendiary Magistrate
and others)
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7) PRAYER
For the Accused Colonel Jango Crackle
In the light of the aforesaid, it is humbly prayed before this Honble Court that:
1. The accused person is not guilty of any of the alleged crimes
2. The arrest of Colonel Jingo Crackle is illegal
3. The acquittal of the accused is humbly prayed before this Honble court.
For the Accused Lama Suki
In the light of the aforesaid, it is humbly prayed before this Honble Court that:
1. The accused person is not guilty of any of the alleged crimes
2. The accused person has Head of State immunity and therefore cannot be arrested and
prosecuted
3. The acquittal of the accused is humbly prayed before this Honble court.
RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED,
COUNSEL FOR THE ACCUSED PERSON