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LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Responsibility to Protect and International Law - The Case of the Rohingya

Ribbenvik, Alice LU (2020) JURM02 20202
Department of Law
Faculty of Law
Abstract (Swedish)
Rohingya-muslimerna i Myanmar har utsatts för diskriminering och förtryck
i många decennier. Sedan 2012 har våldet i Myanmar eskalerat till vad
många menar är folkmord. De påstådda brotten har fått uppmärksamhet i det
internationella samfundet och särskilt inom området internationella
mänskliga rättigheter. Examensarbetet gör en kritisk granskning av frågor
relaterade till det internationella ansvaret för de allvarliga brott som begåtts mot Rohingya-minoriteten i Myanmar. Jag kommer att analysera om, och i så fall, vem som har ett ansvar för att skydda minoriteten och vilka rättsliga metoder och verktyg det internationella samfundet kan använda för att hålla gärningsmännen ansvariga för våldet i Myanmar. Ett av de verktyg jag... (More)
Rohingya-muslimerna i Myanmar har utsatts för diskriminering och förtryck
i många decennier. Sedan 2012 har våldet i Myanmar eskalerat till vad
många menar är folkmord. De påstådda brotten har fått uppmärksamhet i det
internationella samfundet och särskilt inom området internationella
mänskliga rättigheter. Examensarbetet gör en kritisk granskning av frågor
relaterade till det internationella ansvaret för de allvarliga brott som begåtts mot Rohingya-minoriteten i Myanmar. Jag kommer att analysera om, och i så fall, vem som har ett ansvar för att skydda minoriteten och vilka rättsliga metoder och verktyg det internationella samfundet kan använda för att hålla gärningsmännen ansvariga för våldet i Myanmar. Ett av de verktyg jag undersöker är Responsibility to Protect (skyldigheten att skydda eller R2P), som introducerades av the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty 2001. Examensarbetet fokuserar på hur denna princip relaterar till grundläggande principer i internationell rätt, såsom statssuveränitet och icke-intervention och även hur internationellt rättsligt ansvar - både statsansvar och straffrättsligt ansvar - kan bestämmas genom involvering av rättsliga organ. Examensarbetet analyserar också de rättsliga begränsningarna för de nämnda organen. Det pågår tre rättsprocesser samtidigt, men inga förövare har hållits ansvariga hittills. Examensarbetet syftar till att påpeka skillnaden mellan syftet med R2P och vad som faktiskt kan göras i praktiken för att implementera en sådan princip. Problemet att implementera principen beror på flera faktorer. En faktor är motsägelsen mellan R2P och vissa rättsliga principer, principerna om statssuveränitet och icke-intervention. Implementeringen är också svår på grund av FN:s politiska klimat, jurisdiktionsbegränsningar och Myanmars ovilja att samarbeta. Dessa faktorer gör det svårare för de rättsliga organen att samla tillräckliga bevis, stoppa våldet och skipa rättvisa. (Less)
Abstract
The Rohingya, a Muslim minority group in Myanmar have been subject to discrimination and repression for many decades. Since 2012, the violence in Myanmar has escalated to mass atrocity crimes, arguably amounting to genocide. The alleged crimes have gained attention in the international community and especially in the field of international human rights law. This thesis makes a critical examination of questions related to the international responsibility for the grave crimes committed against the Rohingya minority in Myanmar. I will analyze what is the responsibility of the international community and what legal avenues and tools the international community may use to hold the perpetrators responsible to account and end the violence in... (More)
The Rohingya, a Muslim minority group in Myanmar have been subject to discrimination and repression for many decades. Since 2012, the violence in Myanmar has escalated to mass atrocity crimes, arguably amounting to genocide. The alleged crimes have gained attention in the international community and especially in the field of international human rights law. This thesis makes a critical examination of questions related to the international responsibility for the grave crimes committed against the Rohingya minority in Myanmar. I will analyze what is the responsibility of the international community and what legal avenues and tools the international community may use to hold the perpetrators responsible to account and end the violence in Myanmar. One of the questions I am specifically considering is the Responsibility to Protect principle, introduced by the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty in 2001. The thesis focuses on how this principle is related to basic principles of international law and also how international legal responsibility – both state responsibility and criminal responsibility - can be determined through the engagement of judicial organs. The thesis also analyzes legal limitations on the role of judicial organs. There are three legal proceedings occurring at the same time, yet no perpetrators have been held accountable and no state has been held responsible so far. The thesis seeks to point out the disconnect between the purpose of R2P, and what can actually be done in practice to implement such a principle. The disconnect is due to several factors. One is the contradicting nature of R2P considering some legal principles, such as the principles of sovereignty and non-intervention. Implementation is also difficult due to the political environment of the UN, jurisdictional limits facing the courts and the failure of Myanmar to cooperate, making it hard to gather enough evidence to build a solid case. These factors make it more difficult for the judicial organs to end violence and deliver justice to the victims of the crimes allegedly committed. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Ribbenvik, Alice LU
supervisor
organization
course
JURM02 20202
year
type
H3 - Professional qualifications (4 Years - )
subject
keywords
Public international law, responsibility to protect, Rohingya, Myanmar
language
English
id
9034553
date added to LUP
2021-01-30 14:09:48
date last changed
2021-01-30 14:09:48
@misc{9034553,
  abstract     = {{The Rohingya, a Muslim minority group in Myanmar have been subject to discrimination and repression for many decades. Since 2012, the violence in Myanmar has escalated to mass atrocity crimes, arguably amounting to genocide. The alleged crimes have gained attention in the international community and especially in the field of international human rights law. This thesis makes a critical examination of questions related to the international responsibility for the grave crimes committed against the Rohingya minority in Myanmar. I will analyze what is the responsibility of the international community and what legal avenues and tools the international community may use to hold the perpetrators responsible to account and end the violence in Myanmar. One of the questions I am specifically considering is the Responsibility to Protect principle, introduced by the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty in 2001. The thesis focuses on how this principle is related to basic principles of international law and also how international legal responsibility – both state responsibility and criminal responsibility - can be determined through the engagement of judicial organs. The thesis also analyzes legal limitations on the role of judicial organs. There are three legal proceedings occurring at the same time, yet no perpetrators have been held accountable and no state has been held responsible so far. The thesis seeks to point out the disconnect between the purpose of R2P, and what can actually be done in practice to implement such a principle. The disconnect is due to several factors. One is the contradicting nature of R2P considering some legal principles, such as the principles of sovereignty and non-intervention. Implementation is also difficult due to the political environment of the UN, jurisdictional limits facing the courts and the failure of Myanmar to cooperate, making it hard to gather enough evidence to build a solid case. These factors make it more difficult for the judicial organs to end violence and deliver justice to the victims of the crimes allegedly committed.}},
  author       = {{Ribbenvik, Alice}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Responsibility to Protect and International Law - The Case of the Rohingya}},
  year         = {{2020}},
}