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International law : Human rights law and state responsibility

Scheinin, Martin LU orcid and Vermeulen, Mathias (2011) p.252-274
Abstract

This chapter will explore how various forms of intelligence cooperation may constitute breaches of the substantive obligations of a state under international law (primary norms), and how both states – the one directly engaged in human rights violations and the other one providing some form of assistance through its intelligence agency – could be held to account by other states under international law rules concerning state responsibility (secondary norms). After a brief introduction, in the second part of the chapter different forms of intelligence cooperation agreements will be discussed, in order to determine whether their status under international law affects the obligation to comply with norms of international human rights law.... (More)

This chapter will explore how various forms of intelligence cooperation may constitute breaches of the substantive obligations of a state under international law (primary norms), and how both states – the one directly engaged in human rights violations and the other one providing some form of assistance through its intelligence agency – could be held to account by other states under international law rules concerning state responsibility (secondary norms). After a brief introduction, in the second part of the chapter different forms of intelligence cooperation agreements will be discussed, in order to determine whether their status under international law affects the obligation to comply with norms of international human rights law. This chapter will only deal with one of the most pressing contemporary problems of intelligence cooperation: the use of information or intelligence which was derived through grave human rights violations, including violations of peremptory norms of international law such as the prohibition of torture. In this context, the third part of the chapter will assess states’ primary obligation to respect the absolute prohibition of torture. The fourth part will then outline the framework of secondary rules concerning state responsibility for internationally wrongful acts, which are derived from a state’s participation in another state’s breach of its primary obligations. The concluding part of the chapter will outline how both human rights law and the law of state responsibility provide elements for a legal approach to providing effective remedies to victims of human rights violations.

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Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
and
publishing date
type
Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
publication status
published
keywords
Human rights, Mänskliga rättigheter
host publication
International Intelligence Cooperation and Accountability
editor
Born, Hans ; Leigh, Ian and Wills, Aidan
pages
23 pages
publisher
Taylor and Francis A.S.
external identifiers
  • scopus:84964489281
ISBN
9781136831409
9780203831731
9780415580021
9780415641982
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
995410bf-6adf-46d2-a9df-173bd802e679
date added to LUP
2025-05-20 13:19:35
date last changed
2025-07-15 17:29:57
@inbook{995410bf-6adf-46d2-a9df-173bd802e679,
  abstract     = {{<p>This chapter will explore how various forms of intelligence cooperation may constitute breaches of the substantive obligations of a state under international law (primary norms), and how both states – the one directly engaged in human rights violations and the other one providing some form of assistance through its intelligence agency – could be held to account by other states under international law rules concerning state responsibility (secondary norms). After a brief introduction, in the second part of the chapter different forms of intelligence cooperation agreements will be discussed, in order to determine whether their status under international law affects the obligation to comply with norms of international human rights law. This chapter will only deal with one of the most pressing contemporary problems of intelligence cooperation: the use of information or intelligence which was derived through grave human rights violations, including violations of peremptory norms of international law such as the prohibition of torture. In this context, the third part of the chapter will assess states’ primary obligation to respect the absolute prohibition of torture. The fourth part will then outline the framework of secondary rules concerning state responsibility for internationally wrongful acts, which are derived from a state’s participation in another state’s breach of its primary obligations. The concluding part of the chapter will outline how both human rights law and the law of state responsibility provide elements for a legal approach to providing effective remedies to victims of human rights violations.</p>}},
  author       = {{Scheinin, Martin and Vermeulen, Mathias}},
  booktitle    = {{International Intelligence Cooperation and Accountability}},
  editor       = {{Born, Hans and Leigh, Ian and Wills, Aidan}},
  isbn         = {{9781136831409}},
  keywords     = {{Human rights; Mänskliga rättigheter}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{01}},
  pages        = {{252--274}},
  publisher    = {{Taylor and Francis A.S.}},
  title        = {{International law : Human rights law and state responsibility}},
  year         = {{2011}},
}