2015

Abstract: Crimes against humanity have undergone—and continue to undergo—a two-pronged evolutionary process. On the one hand, international doctrine and instruments have shaped and promoted the concept within the international community. On the other hand, the development of landmark case law in the practice of international criminal courts has provided the tools necessary to continually refine the concept. In this article, we focus on the evolution of the concept of crimes against humanity through the treaty-based approach, with direct reference to the internal or international conflicts that necessitated its application, beginning with its first mention and ending with the Rome Statute.

Keywords: crimes against humanity, Yugoslavia, Nuremberg, Tokyo, International Criminal Court, Rome Statute, London Charter, crime, international jurisdiction