An Appraisal of the Doctrine of Command Responsibility: An Example of Evolution or Fragmentation in International Criminal Law?
Keywords:
Command Responsibility, Rome Statute, Causation, Military and non-Military Superiors.Abstract
The command responsibility is now an established doctrine in the international criminal law according to which during an armed conflict the commander is responsible for the acts of troops under his/her control. S/he has the duty to ensure compliance with the legal parameters war of his/her subordinates. This doctrine has been endorsed by the statutes of International Criminal Tribunal of Yugoslavia and International Criminal Court of Rwanda. Many other ad hoc tribunals and domestic courts also have upheld this doctrine. Later on, the Rome Statute of International Criminal Court (ICC) incorporated two new elements in this doctrine: separate standards for knowledge requirements for establishing responsibility of military and civil superiors and causal link between dereliction of the duty of commander and the crime committed by the subordinate. Heuristically, possible outcome of the Rome Statute in this regard has been explained by its hypothetical application on already decided cases of the ad hoc tribunals. The present article endeavours to address whether the adaptation of this doctrine by different criminal tribunals reflects its refinement or it is a case of fragmentation in international criminal law. The research highlights that establishment of this doctrine is an example of evolution in a specialised field. However, it has been tried to show ambiguities in the doctrine of command responsibility in international criminal law and argues that its nuances need to be elucidated for its clear and uniform application.
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