Definition
Command responsibility
In international criminal law, command responsibility allows for commanders to be held liable for crimes (e.g. war crimes) committed by their subordinates.
Show MoreIn September 2015, the Higher Regional Court in Stuttgart handed down convictions in the trial of two Rwandan leaders of the Hutu militia group FDLR. Ignace Murwanashyaka, president of the Forces Démocratiques de Libération du Rwanda and Straton Musoni, his vice president, were on trial for committing grave breaches of international law in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in 2008/9. They were sentenced to 13 and eight years in prison respectively.
The FDLR are alleged to have utilized sexualized violence against the Congolese civilian population as part of their battle strategy, and to have in numerous cases plundered, killed and inflicted grievous bodily injuries. In many cases women are said to have been brutally abused, injuries which in some cases were fatal. Murwanashyaka is not accused of committing these acts himself, but of failing to take action to prevent his subordinates from carrying out the acts in question (command responsibility).
Murwanashyaka was accused of being responsible for crimes against humanity, particularly killing and sexual coercion or rape. He also faces accusations of war crimes, particularly the killing, cruel or inhumane treatment, sexual coercion or rape of a person protected under international humanitarian law, as well as forcibly recruiting child soldiers and perpetrating war crimes against property.
ECCHR monitored the trial in Stuttgart from the very beginning and regularly published status reports. In June 2016, the organization published its final report. Based on the monitoring carried out over four and a half years, the report examines the following questions, among others: Can this trial serve as a model for other international criminal proceedings in Germany? How can the prosecution and courts remedy shortcomings in addressing international crimes, especially concerning charges of sexualized violence? What significance does international criminal law have in the global fight against impunity?
For several years now, the FDLR has been carrying out attacks on the Congolese civilian population in eastern Congo. The FDLR is mainly made up of Hutu refugees who fled to eastern Congo from Rwanda in 1994 and over the years that followed. From there, the FDLR have been fighting the Rwandan Government led by Paul Kagame.
Attempts by the UN and the DRC to disarm the FDLR have continually been met with reprisals against the Congolese civilian population. Huge numbers of women have been subjected to rape and other crimes. In spring 2009, the FDLR once again intensified its attacks on the civilian population in eastern Congo.
In international criminal law, command responsibility allows for commanders to be held liable for crimes (e.g. war crimes) committed by their subordinates.
Show MoreA communication to the International Criminal Court provides prosecutors at the court with information on alleged or potential crimes.
Show MoreCrimes against humanity are grave violations of international law carried out against a civilian population in a systematic or widespread way.
Show MoreInternational criminal law applies in cases of grave human rights violations (such as genocide and war crimes).
Show MoreThe Pinochet Effect refers to the example set by the arrest of and extradition proceedings against Chilean dictator General Augusto Pinochet.
Show MoreSexual violence is defined as a violent act of a sexual nature. It is the deliberate exertion of power over another person, not an act of lust.
Show MoreWar crimes are serious breaches of international humanitarian law committed in armed conflict.
Show MoreIn international criminal law, command responsibility allows for commanders to be held liable for crimes (e.g. war crimes) committed by their subordinates.
Show MoreCrimes against humanity – defined as a systematic attack on a civilian population – tend to be planned or at least condoned by state authorities: heads of government, senior officials or military leaders. In some cases, companies also play a direct or indirect role in their perpetration.
Show MoreRape, sexual assault, forced pregnancy and sexual slavery: these are all sexual violence. In repressive regimes and armed conflict, the military, secret services and police often use these and similar methods as part of their strategy to oppress the civilian population.
Show MoreAttacks directed against civilians; torture of detainees; sexual slavery – when committed within the context of armed conflict, these and other grave crimes amount to war crimes as defined by the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. While the system of international criminal justice makes it possible to prosecute war crimes, in many cases those responsible are not held to account.
Show MoreCrimes against humanity – defined as a systematic attack on a civilian population – tend to be planned or at least condoned by state authorities: heads of government, senior officials or military leaders. In some cases, companies also play a direct or indirect role in their perpetration.
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