Preventing and Punishing Crimes against Humanity

Speakers:

• Professor Sean Murphy (George Washington University; Member of the International Law Commission, and Special Rapporteur on Crimes against Humanity; President, American Society of International Law; Matrix Chambers, London and Geneva)
• Professor Philippe Sands QC (UCL; author East West Street: On the Origins of Genocide and Crimes against Humanity; Matrix Chambers, London and Geneva)
• Ms Alice Lacourt (Commonwealth Secretariat)

Chair: Dr Danae Azaria (UCL)

About this event
Crimes against humanity have been prosecuted since the Nuremberg Tribunal before numerous international (and hybrid) criminal tribunals, including the international criminal tribunals for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and Rwanda (ICTR) and the International Criminal Court. Yet what about prevention and punishment within national law? Although treaties have been concluded for the prevention and punishment in national law of the crime of genocide and war crimes, no such treaty exists with respect to crimes against humanity. To fill this gap, the U.N. International Law Commission (ILC) in 2017 adopted on first reading Draft Articles on Crimes against Humanity and submitted them to the U.N. General Assembly, inviting comments from governments. This event will discuss the nature and scope of the Draft Articles, will consider them within the wider evolution of crimes against humanity since the Nuremberg Tribunal, and will discuss the political prospects for adopting a new convention when the ILC completes its work in 2019.

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This talk is supported by

Annual Lectures on the International Law Commission at UCL Laws
This event forms part of a series of future events on the International Law Commission at UCL. The events will discuss and reflect on the past, ongoing and future work of the United Nations International Law Commission, as well as its role in ‘the progressive development of international law and its codification’. They will involve current and past members of the International Law Commission and are intended to raise wider public awareness and further disseminate the work of the International Law Commission.