Courses in the summer semester 2024
International law of armed conflict,
Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Dr. h.c. Claus Kreß LL.M. (Cambridge)
Even in times of war, law does not fall silent. Still, it must be recognized that the law, with its normative claim, reaches its outer limit in the event of an armed conflict. This lecture therefore invites participants to venture on a “borderline” of international law, discussing the basics of the international law of armed conflict. Formerly known as the law of war and often referred to as international humanitarian law today, this course develops an understanding of the law applicable in armed altercations. This involves looking at the entirety of the norms of international law that relate either to an (international) armed conflict between states or to a (non-international) armed conflict between a state and a non-state actor or between multiple non-state actors. While non-international armed conflicts may be dominant in practice, the current war in Ukraine grievously proves that international armed conflicts are not yet eradicated. Unlike the international law of peacekeeping – in its narrowest terms broken down to the prohibition of the use of force – the international law of armed conflict does not aim to prevent the outbreak of hostilities. Rather, it accepts such hostilities as a given while guaranteeing minimal humanitarian standards even here. For this reason, the relevant norms of behavior are directed at all parties to the conflict, no matter their responsibility for the outbreak of violence.
- Wednesdays, 16:00 - 17:30
- Registration via Klips
International criminal law,
Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Dr. h.c. Claus Kreß LL.M. (Cambridge)
International criminal law deals with rules of criminal accountability in the international legal order. These include the prohibitions of wars of aggression, genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. This legal regime has drawn international attention since the 1990s, after the United Nations Security Council initially established ad hoc international tribunals to prosecute crimes committed during armed conflicts in former Yugoslavia and in Rwanda and after a larger part of the international community agreed in 1998, for the first time in legal history, to establish a permanent international criminal court. This course breaks down materials of general international and criminal law and looks at historical and current examples of crimes on a macroscale. Essential examples of case law by the International Criminal Court will be examined. References will be given in the lecture.
- Wednesdays, 17:45 - 19:15
- Registration via Klips