2015/03/04 by Harmen van der Wilt · 1 citation
Environmental Science · Social Sciences · #Global Peace and Security Dynamics #International Law and Human Rights #Wildlife Conservation and Criminology Analyses
paper · pdf · doi:10.1093/jicj/mqv007
openalex publication_date 2015/03/04 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
The author focuses on the approach various NGOs have taken regarding the prosecution of international crimes under the universality principle by analysing their reports on the topic. The author detects a paradigm shift: At first NGOs took a rather political and pugnacious attitude, exaggerating states’ obligations to prosecute, underestimating the practical and legal problems of prosecuting and trying perpetrators of international crimes, and using legally flawed rhetoric. Of late, however, the approach has generally become more cautious and realistic. NGOs have acknowledged the complexities of international crime prosecutions and trials and shifted their attention to criminal law problems.