Courts established by international agreements
The International Criminal Court in The Hague
International courts are formed by treaties between nations , or by an international organization such as the United Nations – and include ad hoc tribunals and permanent institutions but exclude any courts arising purely under national authority.
Definition
An international court is an international organization , or a body of an international organization, that hears cases in which one party may be a state or international organization (or body thereof), and which is composed of independent judges who follow predetermined rules of procedure to issue binding decisions on the basis of international law .[1]
History
Early examples of international courts include the Nuremberg and Tokyo tribunals established in the aftermath of World War II . Several such international courts are presently located in The Hague in the Netherlands , most importantly the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and the International Criminal Court (ICC). Further international courts exist elsewhere, usually with their jurisdiction restricted to a particular country, a global or regional intergovernmental or supranational organisation, or historic issue, such as the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda that deals with the genocide in Rwanda .
In addition to international tribunals created to address crimes committed during genocides and civil war, ad hoc courts and tribunals combining international and domestic strategies have also been established on a situational basis. Examples of these "hybrid tribunals" are the Special Court for Sierra Leone , Special Tribunal for Lebanon , Special Panels of the Dili District Court in East Timor, and the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia .
Privileges and immunities
Judges and high-level staff of such courts may be afforded diplomatic immunity if their governing authority allows.
List of international courts
Defendants in the dock at the International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg
Name
Subject matter and scope
Headquarters
Years active
African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights
Human rights within the African Union
Addis Ababa , Ethiopia (2006–7) Arusha , Tanzania (2007–present)
2006–present
Appellate Body of the World Trade Organization
Trade disputes within the World Trade Organization
Geneva , Switzerland
1995–present
Benelux Court of Justice
Trade disputes within the Benelux
Brussels , Belgium
1975–present
Caribbean Court of Justice
General disputes within the Caribbean Community
Port of Spain , Trinidad and Tobago
2005–present
CIS Economic Court
Trade disputes and interpretation of treaties within the Commonwealth of Independent States
Minsk , Belarus
1994–present
COMESA Court of Justice
Trade disputes within the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa
Khartoum , Sudan
1998–present
Common Court of Justice and Arbitration of the OHADA
Interpretation of OHADA treaties and uniform laws
Abidjan , Ivory Coast
1998–present
Court of Justice of the Andean Community
Trade disputes within the Andean Community
Quito , Ecuador
1983–present
Court of the Eurasian Economic Union
Trade disputes and interpretation of treaties within the Eurasian Economic Union
Minsk , Belarus
2015–present
East African Court of Justice
Interpretation of East African Community treaties
Arusha , Tanzania
2001–present
Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court
General disputes within the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States
Castries , Saint Lucia
1967–present
ECOWAS Court of Justice
Interpretation of Economic Community of West African States treaties
Abuja , Nigeria
1996–present
European Court of Human Rights
Human rights within the Council of Europe
Strasbourg , France
1959–present
European Court of Justice
Interpretation of European Union law
Luxembourg City , Luxembourg
1952–present
European Free Trade Association Court
Interpretation of European Free Trade Association law
Luxembourg City , Luxembourg
1994–present
European Nuclear Energy Tribunal
Nuclear energy disputes within the OECD
Paris , France
1960–present
Inter-American Court of Human Rights
Human rights within the Organization of American States
San José , Costa Rica
1979–present
International Court of Justice
General disputes globally (UN )
The Hague , Netherlands
1945–present
International Criminal Court
Criminal prosecutions globally (Rome Statute )
The Hague , Netherlands
2002–present
International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
Criminal prosecutions for the Rwandan genocide (UN )
Arusha, Tanzania
1994−2015
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
Criminal prosecutions for the Yugoslav Wars (UN )
The Hague , Netherlands
1993−2017
International Military Tribunal
Criminal prosecutions of Nazi German officials for World War II /Holocaust (Nuremberg Charter )
Nuremberg , post-war Germany
1945–1946
International Military Tribunal for the Far East
Criminal prosecutions of Imperial Japanese officials for World War II (Tokyo Charter )
Tokyo , Japan
1946−1948
International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals
Completing the Rwanda and Yugoslav Tribunals' work (UN )
The Hague , Netherlands
2012−present
International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea
Maritime disputes globally (UNCLOS )
Hamburg , Germany
1994–present
Permanent Court of International Justice
General disputes globally (League of Nations )
The Hague , Netherlands
1922–1946
Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone
Completing the Special Court for Sierra Leone's work (UN )
Freetown , Sierra Leone
2013−present
SADC Tribunal
Interpretation of Southern African Development Community treaties
Windhoek , Namibia
2005–2012
Special Court for Sierra Leone
Criminal prosecutions for the Sierra Leone Civil War (UN )
Freetown , Sierra Leone
2002−2013
Special Tribunal for Lebanon
Criminal prosecutions for the assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri (UN )
Leidschendam , Netherlands
2009−present
List of hybrid tribunals
Lectures
See also
References
External links