The adoption of the Rome Statute for a permanent International Criminal Court in July 1998 marked a milestone in the history of humanity. This international instrument defines the most heinous crimes such as war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. In order to judge effectively these offences international and national criminal justice systems must complement each other. Hence there is an impetus for States to enact national laws criminalising such conduct. This book analyses eleven domestic legislative projects, which incorporate the international crimes contained in the Rome Statute. Legislation from four different continents demonstrates that States are indeed removing impunity for serious international crimes. Experts who were involved in the drafting of the national laws and scholars of international criminal law provide commentaries in English or French.
This book is accompanied by a CD, which contains all relevant laws and legislative memoranda from the national Parliaments. Together, this book and the CD contain the first comparative world-wide overview of national legislation incorporating international crimes.