Victims of International Crimes: An Interdisciplinary Discourse

In international law victims' issues have gained more and more attention over the last decades. In particular in transitional justice processes the victim is being given high priority. It is to be seen in this context that the Rome Statute for the Interna

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Victims of International Crimes: An Interdisciplinary Discourse

Thorsten Bonacker · Christoph Safferling Editors

Victims of International Crimes: An Interdisciplinary Discourse

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Editors Thorsten Bonacker Institut für Soziologie Philipps-Universität Marburg Marburg Germany

Christoph Safferling Institut für Kriminalwissenschaften Philipps-Universität Marburg Marburg Germany

ISBN 978-90-6704-911-5 ISBN 978-90-6704-912-2  (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-90-6704-912-2 Library of Congress Control Number: 2013934272 © t.m.c. Asser press, The Hague, The Netherlands, and the authors 2013 Published by t.m.c. Asser press, The Hague, The Netherlands www.asserpress.nl Produced and distributed for t.m.c. Asser press by Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher, with the exception of any material supplied specifically for the purpose of being entered and executed on a computer system, for exclusive use by the purchaser of the work. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. Disclaimer: The information transmitted is intended only for the person or entity to whom or which it is addressed. Unauthorised use, disclosure or copying is strictly prohibited. The sender accepts no liability for the improper transmission of this communication nor for any delay in its receipt. Printed on acid-free paper Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com)

Foreword

In the last 20 years we have seen new and successful global efforts to criminalise genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, and to prosecute and punish those responsible. The establishment of the ad hoc international criminal tribunals for the crimes committed in the former Yugoslavia and in Rwanda, and of the permanent International Criminal Court, is the most publicised outcome of these initiatives. National courts are also beginning to exercise their universal jurisdiction over certain international crimes. The trial against a Rwandan national accused of participation in the killing of thousands of Tutsis in Rwanda that has begun this year before the Frankfurt Superior Court is just one example of these efforts. As important as the punishment of perpetrators is, the suffering incurred by the victims should not be forgotten. The proportion of civilian casualties of war as opposed to military casualties has increased dramatically, up to 90 % by the end of the twentieth century.1 At the end of 2010, the number of people forcibly uprooted by conflict and persecution worldwide stood at almost 34 million.2 Therefore, this conference couldn’t be timelier. The welfare of crime victims is of spec