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Striking a balance between peace and justice has long been debated by scholars and practitioners. There has been definite progress in a world in which blanket amnesties were at times granted with little hesitation. There is a growing understanding that accountability has both pragmatic and principled arguments in its favor. Practical arguments as much as shifts in norms have created a situation in which the choice is increasingly seen as "which forms of accountability" rather than a stark one between peace and justice. The Colombian Justice and Peace Law 975 and its implementation offer an interesting and unique approach to dealing with the international crimes committed in Colombia's decades-long armed conflict. Yet, will this approach suffice with regard to Colombia's obligations under international law to investigate and prosecute international crimes? Does it meet the standards of the ICC, which has been monitoring the Colombian situation for some time now? In particular, does it pass the complementarity test laid out in the ICC statute or will the ICC have to intervene in Colombia to enforce international criminal law?
List of contents
Law 975 and its process.- Preliminary Remarks.- The Process Under Law 975.- Intermediate Conclusions.- The complementarity test (Art. 17) and its application to the Colombian situation.- Preliminary Considerations: The Object of Reference of the Complementarity Test (Situation-Case-Conduct).- Gravity and Complementarity Stricto Sensu.- Conclusion: Classifying the Colombian Case with a View to Different Transitional Justice Scenarios.- Some Recommendations for the Further Application of Law 975.
About the author
Kai Ambos studierte Rechts- und Politikwissenschaften in Freiburg, Oxford (Großbritannien) und München 1984 1990. Erstes juristisches Staatsexamen Bayern 1990; zweites juristisches Staatsexamen Baden-Württemberg 1994. Promotion 1992 und Habilitation 2001 Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (venia legendi in Strafrecht, Strafprozessrecht, Kriminologie, Rechtsvergleichung und Völkerrecht). Wiss. Referent Max-Planck-Institut für ausländisches und internationales Strafrecht und wiss. Assistent Universität Freiburg 1991 2003. Lehrstuhlvertretung in Freiburg SS 2002 und WS 2002/03. Anfang 2003 Rufe auf Lehrstühle der Universitäten Göttingen und Graz. Seit 7.5.2003 Lehrstuhlinhaber für Strafrecht, Strafprozessrecht, Rechtsvergleichung und internationales Strafrecht an der Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Leiter der Abteilung ausländisches und internationales Strafrecht. Seit 15.3.2006 Magisterbeauftragter der juristischen Fakultät. Seit 24.3.2006 Richter am Landgericht Göttingen. Zwischen April 2008 und 2010 Studiendekan der juristischen Fakultät.
Summary
Striking a balance between peace and justice has long been debated by scholars and practitioners. There has been definite progress in a world in which blanket amnesties were at times granted with little hesitation. There is a growing understanding that accountability has both pragmatic and principled arguments in its favor. Practical arguments as much as shifts in norms have created a situation in which the choice is increasingly seen as "which forms of accountability" rather than a stark one between peace and justice. The Colombian Justice and Peace Law 975 and its implementation offer an interesting and unique approach to dealing with the international crimes committed in Colombia’s decades-long armed conflict. Yet, will this approach suffice with regard to Colombia’s obligations under international law to investigate and prosecute international crimes? Does it meet the standards of the ICC, which has been monitoring the Colombian situation for some time now? In particular, does it pass the complementarity test laid out in the ICC statute or will the ICC have to intervene in Colombia to enforce international criminal law?
Additional text
From the reviews:
“This book is based on a Research into the Colombian peace process … with a take on the obligation set forth under the complementary principle of the ICC Statute. … This book could be extremely useful not only for readers who are new to the topic and want to familiarize themselves with its essential facts and basic issues, but also equally useful for those already familiar with the peace process in Colombia and want to remain up to date with its development.” (Yira Segrera, Verfassung und Recht in Übersee, Vol. 45 (3), 2012)
Report
From the reviews:
"This book is based on a Research into the Colombian peace process ... with a take on the obligation set forth under the complementary principle of the ICC Statute. ... This book could be extremely useful not only for readers who are new to the topic and want to familiarize themselves with its essential facts and basic issues, but also equally useful for those already familiar with the peace process in Colombia and want to remain up to date with its development." (Yira Segrera, Verfassung und Recht in Übersee, Vol. 45 (3), 2012)
