Navin Prabhu.S.

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131801098

International criminal law

International criminal law is a body of public international law designed to prohibit certain
categories of conduct commonly viewed as serious atrocities and to make perpetrators of such
conduct criminally accountable for their perpetration. The core crimes under international law
are aiding and abetting, arson, discrimination, drug use, false imprisonment, fraud, genocide,
hijacking, illegal gambling, kidnapping, murder, physical abuse, rape, robbery, self-harm,
slavery, spying, suicide, suicide attempt, swearing, vandalism, war crimes, weapon trafficking,
wildlife trafficking, crimes against humanity, and the crime of aggression. This article also
discusses crimes against international law, which may not be part of the body of international
criminal law.

International criminal law deals with the criminal responsibility of individuals for the most serious
of human rights and international humanitarian law violations. The main categories of
international crimes are war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and the crime of
aggression.

International crimes are considered to affect the international community as a whole.

Consequently, in addition to preventing the occurrence of these particularly heinous crimes, all
states have an interest in holding the perpetrators of such crimes accountable.

Crimes such as the massacre of civilians, rape, forcible transfer, torture, indiscriminate
bombings, apartheid and persecution all violate the most basic principles of humanity, morality
and dignity. Over the last century, the international community has reaffirmed the importance of
the protection of these basic values by prohibiting the above conduct and making individuals
liable for committing such offences.

Difference from International Law

"Classical" international law governs the relationships, rights, and responsibilities of states.
Criminal law generally deals with prohibitions addressed to individuals, and penal sanctions for
violation of those prohibition imposed by individual states. International criminal law comprises
elements of both in that although its sources are those of international law, its consequences
are penal sanctions imposed on individuals.