The rules of immunity for heads of state and other high-ranking state officials: Private, official and the question of jus cogens
(2023) LAGF03 20232Department of Law
Faculty of Law
- Abstract (Swedish)
- Denna uppsats undersöker de sedvanerättsliga reglerna om immunitet för statschefer och andra högt uppsatta statsrepresentanter. Syftet är att göra en övergripande kartläggning av reglernas innehåll som möjliggör korrekt rättstillämpning i framtiden. Genom att granska konventioner, kodifieringar, rättsfall och doktrin om ämnet, samt genom att undersöka det pågående kodifikationsarbetet, kartläggs reglerna i sin helhet. Den rättsdogmatiska metoden används för att fastställa de lege lata, som i sin tur lägger grunden för ett reso-nemang om de lege ferenda. Ett rättsutvecklingsperspektiv används som ett verktyg för att förstå reglerna i deras historiska och nutida kontext.
Sedvanerättens regler ger sittande statschefer, regeringschefer och... (More) - Denna uppsats undersöker de sedvanerättsliga reglerna om immunitet för statschefer och andra högt uppsatta statsrepresentanter. Syftet är att göra en övergripande kartläggning av reglernas innehåll som möjliggör korrekt rättstillämpning i framtiden. Genom att granska konventioner, kodifieringar, rättsfall och doktrin om ämnet, samt genom att undersöka det pågående kodifikationsarbetet, kartläggs reglerna i sin helhet. Den rättsdogmatiska metoden används för att fastställa de lege lata, som i sin tur lägger grunden för ett reso-nemang om de lege ferenda. Ett rättsutvecklingsperspektiv används som ett verktyg för att förstå reglerna i deras historiska och nutida kontext.
Sedvanerättens regler ger sittande statschefer, regeringschefer och utrikesministrar ett absolut immunitetsskydd från andra staters domstolar. Så länge statsrepresentanterna innehar sitt ämbete utgör immuniteten ett hinder mot att lagföra även de mest allvarliga internationella brotten på nationell nivå i andra stater. Efter att en statsrepresentant lämnat sin post behåller denne fortsatt en partiell immunitet för offentliga handlingar. För privata handlingar erhåller statsrepresentanten däremot inte längre skydd mot andra staters judikativa jurisdiktion. Av detta skäl blir särskiljandet mellan privata och offentliga handlingar en fråga av grundläggande betydelse. Likaså blir frågan om huruvida brott mot jus cogens omfattas av immunitetsskyddet.
I gränsdragningen mellan privata och offentliga handlingar är handlingens anknytning till statsrepresentantens offentliga auktoritet avgörande. En handling som gjorts med offentlig auktoritet betecknas vara av offentlig karaktär, vilket innebär att den ligger utanför andra staters domstolars jurisdiktion. Att en handling utgör ett brott mot jus cogens utesluter inte att den är offentlig till sin karaktär, eller att den enligt gällande rätt inte omfattas av immunitetsskyddet. Det går däremot att se tydliga tecken på en rättsutveckling som kommer att försvaga det partiella immunitetsskyddet, och ge stater större möjlighet att utöva domsrätt över allvarliga internationella förbrytelser i framtiden. (Less) - Abstract
- This essay examines the rules of immunity for heads of state and other high-ranking state officials under international law. The aim is to create a comprehensive outline of the content of the rules, enabling a more accurate and legal-ly sound practice in the future.
Through reviewing conventions, codifications, legal cases and legal doctrine on the subject, and through examining the current codification efforts, an outline is made of the general rules. The legal dogmatic method is used to ascertain lex lata, which in turns aids in ascertaining lex ferenda. A legal developmental perspective is used to place the rules in their historical and present context.
Under customary international law, incumbent heads of state, heads of... (More) - This essay examines the rules of immunity for heads of state and other high-ranking state officials under international law. The aim is to create a comprehensive outline of the content of the rules, enabling a more accurate and legal-ly sound practice in the future.
Through reviewing conventions, codifications, legal cases and legal doctrine on the subject, and through examining the current codification efforts, an outline is made of the general rules. The legal dogmatic method is used to ascertain lex lata, which in turns aids in ascertaining lex ferenda. A legal developmental perspective is used to place the rules in their historical and present context.
Under customary international law, incumbent heads of state, heads of government and foreign ministers are accorded absolute immunity from the juris-diction of foreign national courts. For as long as they serve office, their im-munity poses a bar to prosecuting even the most severe international crimes on the domestic level in other states. After high-ranking state officials leave office, they retain a partial immunity for official acts. Private acts, however, are no longer shielded by immunity. For this reason, the distinction between private and official acts is a matter of essential importance, as is the question of whether violations of jus cogens norms are subject to this immunity.
In distinguishing between private and official acts, the question of whether the act was undertaken through use of the official’s public authority is vital. An act made under official authority is regarded to be of official character, barring the jurisdiction of foreign national courts. That an act is in violation of jus cogens does not rule out that it is an act of official character, or that it is not shielded by the state official’s immunity. However, there are clear signs of a legal development that will weaken partial immunity, resulting in an increased possibility for foreign states to exercise jurisdiction for grave international crimes in the future. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9146971
- author
- Lillieroth Charalambous, Andria LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- LAGF03 20232
- year
- 2023
- type
- M2 - Bachelor Degree
- subject
- keywords
- folkrätt, public international law, jus cogens, head of state immunity, customary international law, peremptory norms, official acts, private acts, international criminal law
- language
- English
- id
- 9146971
- date added to LUP
- 2024-04-19 16:25:01
- date last changed
- 2024-04-19 16:25:01
@misc{9146971,
abstract = {{This essay examines the rules of immunity for heads of state and other high-ranking state officials under international law. The aim is to create a comprehensive outline of the content of the rules, enabling a more accurate and legal-ly sound practice in the future.
Through reviewing conventions, codifications, legal cases and legal doctrine on the subject, and through examining the current codification efforts, an outline is made of the general rules. The legal dogmatic method is used to ascertain lex lata, which in turns aids in ascertaining lex ferenda. A legal developmental perspective is used to place the rules in their historical and present context.
Under customary international law, incumbent heads of state, heads of government and foreign ministers are accorded absolute immunity from the juris-diction of foreign national courts. For as long as they serve office, their im-munity poses a bar to prosecuting even the most severe international crimes on the domestic level in other states. After high-ranking state officials leave office, they retain a partial immunity for official acts. Private acts, however, are no longer shielded by immunity. For this reason, the distinction between private and official acts is a matter of essential importance, as is the question of whether violations of jus cogens norms are subject to this immunity.
In distinguishing between private and official acts, the question of whether the act was undertaken through use of the official’s public authority is vital. An act made under official authority is regarded to be of official character, barring the jurisdiction of foreign national courts. That an act is in violation of jus cogens does not rule out that it is an act of official character, or that it is not shielded by the state official’s immunity. However, there are clear signs of a legal development that will weaken partial immunity, resulting in an increased possibility for foreign states to exercise jurisdiction for grave international crimes in the future.}},
author = {{Lillieroth Charalambous, Andria}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{The rules of immunity for heads of state and other high-ranking state officials: Private, official and the question of jus cogens}},
year = {{2023}},
}