Call for papers 

Penalization of international crimes in national law 

Deadline for submissions: 25 May 2021 

International law defines international crimes and principles of criminal responsibility for  participating in their commission. However, the details concerning penalization of international  crimes and subsequent prosecution of perpetrators are left to states (not counting extraordinary  measures such as the International Criminal Court or mixed tribunals established on the ad hoc  basis).  

The states do not always follow international law in shaping and implementing their  national legislation, as they want to recognize the specificity of the circumstances of place and time.  Deviations from the notions/principles adopted in international law can result in diplomatic crises  (which was the case e.g. during the negotiations of agreements concerning Extraordinary Chambers  in Courts of Cambodia, when Cambodia exercised pressure to adopt the broad definition of  genocide) or in proceedings before human rights bodies.  

The aim of the conference organized by the Institute of Justice is to contemplate the  following questions: 

• To what extent are international crimes recognized in national legislation? How  does national law define international crimes, including both core crimes (i.e. crime  of aggression, genocide, genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes) as well as  other treaty crimes (e.g. torture or apartheid)? Are there any alterations of  definitions of international crimes and what are the consequences? 

• Are there any inconsistencies between international law and national law in terms  of defining principles of responsibility for international crimes? 

• Do states take into account the impact of customary law on the shape of international criminal law in framing their national legislation? 

• What are the models of criminalization of international crimes and what are their  respective advantages and disadvantages? 

• What are the main problems related with the prosecution of international crimes in  national proceedings? 

• Should a distinction be drawn between historic and contemporary crimes  concerning their penalization?

Co-financed from the means of the Justice Fund administered by the Minister of Justice / Współfinansowano ze środków Funduszu  Sprawiedliwości, którego dysponentem jest Minister Sprawiedliwości 

• Are there crimes in national law which are considered to have international  character despite the lack of criminalization in international law? 

• Are the Nuremberg Principles and principles of the Rome Statute reflected in  national law? 

The conference will take place online on 14-15 June 2021. The language of the conference is  English.  

We invite researchers and practitioners to submit a proposal for a paper related to the  above questions. The organizers plan to publish papers in two language versions (English and  Polish) in the Publishing House of the Justice Institute (open access mode) by the end of 2021. 

Applications: 

Submissions can be sent to: patrycja.grzebyk(at)uw.edu.pl by 25 May 2021. 

Each submission must include: 

• the author’s name and affiliation; 

• a 500-word max abstract [doc/docx];  

• the author’s CV, including a list of relevant publications; 

• the author’s contact details, including email address. 

Deadlines 

25 May 2021 – submission of proposals 

30 May 2021 - announcement of the selection results 

14-15 June 2021 – online conference 

15 July 2021- submission of the final versions of papers (approx. 30 000 characters with spaces;  papers can be submitted in English or Polish, however the language of the conference is English only) 

December 2021 - publication of all papers in two language versions: English and Polish.

Co-financed from the means of the Justice Fund administered by the Minister of Justice / Współfinansowano ze środków Funduszu  Sprawiedliwości, którego dysponentem jest Minister Sprawiedliwości