CYIL Vol. 6, 2015

BACK TO THE ILC’S LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: CODE OF CRIMES AGAINST THE PEACE … BACK TO THE ILC’S LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: CODE OF CRIMES AGAINST THE PEACE AND SECURITY OF MANKIND

Pavel Šturma

Abstract: The adoption of the definition of the crime of aggression as a part of the Kampala Amendments to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in 2010 has been an achievement of a long legislative history. The analysis of the long work of the UN International Law Commission, in particular on the draft Code of Crimes against the Peace and Security of Mankind, may shed light on complicated aspects of the legal definition of the crime of aggression. Resumé: Přijetí definice zločinu agrese jako součásti Kampalských dodatků k Řím- skému statutu Mezinárodního trestního soudu v roce 2010 bylo završením dlouhé legislativní historie. Analýza dlouholeté práce Komise OSN pro mezinárodní právo, zejména na návrhu Kodexu zločinů proti míru a bezpečnosti lidstva, může osvětlit složité aspekty právní definice zločinu agrese. Key words: Act of aggression, crime of aggression, Code of Crimes against the Peace and Security of Mankind, International Criminal Court, International Law Commission On the Author: Prof. JUDr. Pavel Šturma,DrSc., is professor and Head of the Department of International Law, Faculty of Law, Charles University in Prague, senior research fellow at the Institute of Law of the Czech Academy of Sciences, president of the Czech Society of International Law and member of the UN International Law Commission. He is a co-author of the textbook Public International Law and author of many publications on codification of international law, international criminal law, human rights and international investment law. 1. Introduction The adoption of the definition of the crime of aggression as a part of the Kampala Amendments to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in 2010 has been an achievement of a long legislative history. This history dates back at least to the Charter of the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg (1945), if we do not take into account some earlier attempts. Indeed, it has been a long way from Nuremberg to Kampala. Many eminent international lawyers and intergovernmental or private legal bodies had to work hard in order to overcome numerous legal and political obstacles to the definition. This contribution aims at showing an important role played by the UN International Law Commission (ILC).

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