A Critique of the Concerns on the Proprio Motu Powers of the ICC Prosecutor

Şehmus Kurtuluş

Makale detayları

A Critique of the Concerns on the Proprio Motu Powers of the ICC Prosecutor

Yazarlar:

Şehmus Kurtuluş

Yayıncı:

Istanbul University

Ana Başlıklar:

Environmental Law

Dergi:

İstanbul Hukuk Mecmuası Vol.81 Issue 2, pp.437-456

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

2/2023

Belge Dili:

İngilizce

Document ID (Org No.):

2001304485

pISSN:

2636-7734

Anahtar kelimeler:

Özet:

 During the Rome Diplomatic Conference of Plenipotentiaries where the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court ICC was drafted, the ICC Prosecutors powers were a matter of dispute. It was particularly the Prosecutors authority to investigate complaints without any referral from a State Party or the Security Council which led to serious debates among participating States. Though there was wide support for the empowerment of the Prosecutor to activate the trigger mechanism of the ICC proprio motu on hisher own initiative, there was also strong opposition. Some States described the prosecutorial powers granted to the Prosecutor as unacceptable due to fears such as facing politically motivated prosecutions. Though the previous two prosecutorial terms showed that fears of politicized prosecutions were far-fetched, the process of selecting the third Prosecutor of the ICC for a nine-year term commencing 16 June 2021 once again put a spotlight on the prosecutorial powers as well as on the challenges the new Prosecutor would face. The present study will first draw attention to the judicial scrutiny of the chambers of the ICC and the filtering mechanism of the Rome Statute in an attempt to allay fears that the Prosecutors powers may lead to politicized prosecutions. The study will then explain, in light of recent developments, why the ICC Prosecutors power to act proprio motu is crucial for the effective operation of the Court. In so doing, the study will mainly benefit from primary sources such as the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, Official Records of the Rome Conference, Reports of the Office of the Prosecutor on Preliminary Examination Activities, Decisions of the Pre-Trial Chambers, as well as the comments made by scholars thereon.

 During the Rome Diplomatic Conference of Plenipotentiaries where the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court ICC was drafted, the ICC Prosecutors powers were a matter of dispute. It was particularly the Prosecutors authority to investigate complaints without any referral from a State Party or the Security Council which led to serious debates among participating States. Though there was wide support for the empowerment of the Prosecutor to activate the trigger mechanism of the ICC proprio motu on hisher own initiative, there was also strong opposition. Some States described the prosecutorial powers granted to the Prosecutor as unacceptable due to fears such as facing politically motivated prosecutions. Though the previous two prosecutorial terms showed that fears of politicized prosecutions were far-fetched, the process of selecting the third Prosecutor of the ICC for a nine-year term commencing 16 June 2021 once again put a spotlight on the prosecutorial powers as well as on the challenges the new Prosecutor would face. The present study will first draw attention to the judicial scrutiny of the chambers of the ICC and the filtering mechanism of the Rome Statute in an attempt to allay fears that the Prosecutors powers may lead to politicized prosecutions. The study will then explain, in light of recent developments, why the ICC Prosecutors power to act proprio motu is crucial for the effective operation of the Court. In so doing, the study will mainly benefit from primary sources such as the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, Official Records of the Rome Conference, Reports of the Office of the Prosecutor on Preliminary Examination Activities, Decisions of the Pre-Trial Chambers, as well as the comments made by scholars thereon.

 During the Rome Diplomatic Conference of Plenipotentiaries where the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court ICC was drafted, the ICC Prosecutors powers were a matter of dispute. It was particularly the Prosecutors authority to investigate complaints without any referral from a State Party or the Security Council which led to serious debates among participating States. Though there was wide support for the empowerment of the Prosecutor to activate the trigger mechanism of the ICC proprio motu on hisher own initiative, there was also strong opposition. Some States described the prosecutorial powers granted to the Prosecutor as unacceptable due to fears such as facing politically motivated prosecutions. Though the previous two prosecutorial terms showed that fears of politicized prosecutions were far-fetched, the process of selecting the third Prosecutor of the ICC for a nine-year term commencing 16 June 2021 once again put a spotlight on the prosecutorial powers as well as on the challenges the new Prosecutor would face. The present study will first draw attention to the judicial scrutiny of the chambers of the ICC and the filtering mechanism of the Rome Statute in an attempt to allay fears that the Prosecutors powers may lead to politicized prosecutions. The study will then explain, in light of recent developments, why the ICC Prosecutors power to act proprio motu is crucial for the effective operation of the Court. In so doing, the study will mainly benefit from primary sources such as the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, Official Records of the Rome Conference, Reports of the Office of the Prosecutor on Preliminary Examination Activities, Decisions of the Pre-Trial Chambers, as well as the comments made by scholars thereon.

 Uluslararası Ceza Divanını kuran Roma Statüsünün görüşülüp oylandığı Roma Diplomatik Konferansında, Divan Savcısının yetkileri, en önemli ihtilaf konularından birini teşkil etmişti. Özellikle de savcının resen bir taraf devlet başvurusu ya da Güvenlik Konseyi kararı olmaksızın soruşturma başlatabilme yetkisi konferansa katılan devletler arasında ciddi fikir ayrılıklarının doğmasına neden olmuştu. Bazı devletler, Uluslararası Ceza Divanı Savcısına tanınan yetkilerin politik motivasyonlu yargılamalara yol açabileceği gibi korkular dolayısıyla, bu yetkileri kabul edilemez olarak nitelendirmişlerdi. Her ne kadar Uluslararası Ceza Divanının kuruluşundan bu yana geçen iki savcılık dönemi politik motivasyonlu yargılama gibi korkuların yersiz olduğunu göstermiş olsa da, 16 Haziran 2021den başlayarak dokuz yıllık bir dönem için Divanın yeni üçüncü savcısının seçilmesi süreci, Divan Savcısının yetkileri konusunu tekrar gündeme getirmiştir. Bu çalışma, Divan Savcısının yetkilerini sınırlandıran ve kararlarını denetlenebilir kılan Roma Statüsü tedbirlerine dikkat çekerek, devletlerin siyasi motivasyonlu suçlamalarla karşı karşıya kalmak gibi endişelerinin giderilmesine katkı sunmayı amaçlamaktadır. Çalışma aynı zamanda, Divan Savcısının resen soruşturma başlatabilme yetkisinin Divanın etkin ve verimli işleyişi için neden elzem olduğunu güncel gelişmeler ışığında açıklamayı hedeflemektedir. Çalışmada, ağırlıklı olarak Uluslararası Ceza Mahkemesini Kuran Roma Statüsü, Roma Diplomatik Konferansı Resmi Kayıtları, Savcılık Bürosu tarafından yayımlanan Ön İnceleme Faaliyet Raporları, Ön İnceleme Daireleri Kararları gibi birincil kaynaklardan faydalanılmış olmakla beraber, başka yazarların görüş ve değerlendirmelerine de yer verilmiştir.

Makale detayları

A Critique of the Concerns on the Proprio Motu Powers of the ICC Prosecutor

Yazarlar:

Şehmus Kurtuluş

Yayıncı:

Istanbul University

Ana Başlıklar:

Environmental Law

Dergi:

İstanbul Hukuk Mecmuası Vol.81 Issue 2, pp.437-456

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

2/2023

Belge Dili:

İngilizce

Document ID (Org No.):

2001304485

pISSN:

2636-7734

International Criminal Court

Rome Statute

ICC

ICC Prosecutor

Powers of the ICC Prosecutor

Fatou Bensouda

Karim KhanUluslararası Ceza Divanı

Roma Statüsü

Uluslararası Ceza Mahkemesi

UCD

UCM

Uluslararası Ceza Divanı Savcısı

Uluslararası Ceza Divanı Savcısının Yetkileri

Fatou Bensouda

Karim Khan

Sayı

Makale detayları

Yazarlar: Şehmus Kurtuluş

Yayıncı: Istanbul University

Ana Başlıklar: Environmental Law

Dergi: İstanbul Hukuk Mecmuası Vol.81 Issue 2, pp.437-456

Belge Tipi: Makale

Yayın Tarihi: 2/2023

Belge Dili: İngilizce

Document ID (Org No.): 2001304485

pISSN: 2636-7734

Sayı

Yazarlar:

Şehmus Kurtuluş

Yayıncı:

Istanbul University

Ana Başlıklar:

Environmental Law

Dergi:

İstanbul Hukuk Mecmuası Vol.81 Issue 2, pp.437-456

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

2/2023

Belge Dili:

İngilizce

Document ID (Org No.):

2001304485

pISSN:

2636-7734