Protection From Crimes Against Humanity and Genocide as Jus Cogens: A Road from Rome to the Responsibility to Protect

Authors

  • Dr. Syed Murad Ali Shah Head of the Department of Law, University of Azad Jammu & Kashmir, Muzaffarabad
  • Dr. Syed Muhammad Farrukh Bukhari Assistant Professor, Department of Law at the University of Azad Jammu & Kashmir, Muzaffarabad
  • Khawaja Noor ul Ain Advocate District and Sessions Court, Muzaffarabad, AJ&K, Pakistan

Keywords:

Human Rights, Crimes against Humanity, Genocide, the International Criminal Court, the Responsibility to Protect, International Criminal Law.

Abstract

The consolidation of acts amounting to crimes against humanity and genocide in the Rome Statute with an explicit prohibition on their commission as Jus Cogens is good on one side. Still, the International Criminal Court lacks considerable jurisdiction, which ultimately reduces its effectiveness. The practical efforts at the international level to ensure the availability of human rights at the universal level through judicial mechanisms are totally in vain if the lacunae present in the international legal system are not appropriately addressed. The complex and dynamic nature of crimes against humanity and genocide has induced this Article to use a doctrinal study blended with exploratory and explanatory design, especially in the shape of a preventive and protective approach. Here, the paper sheds light on the gaps present in the international legal system about them that ultimately induce the international community to look towards different emerging doctrines and on the table, the Responsibility to Protect is such an evolving norm that can abridge these gaps especially in International Criminal Law but it can be materialized only when states come forward with their due diligence for ensuring implementation of the Principle of Humanity at a global level in its true spirit. 

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Published

30.06.2025

How to Cite

Protection From Crimes Against Humanity and Genocide as Jus Cogens: A Road from Rome to the Responsibility to Protect. (2025). PAKISTAN JOURNAL OF LAW, ANALYSIS AND WISDOM, 4(6), 113-123. https://pjlaw.com.pk/index.php/Journal/article/view/v4i6-113-123

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