Seven Canons of ICC Treaty Interpretation: Making Sense of Article 25's Rorschach Blot

This article draws on well-established understandings of international treaty interpretation and the role of the judicial function to propose seven canons of treaty construction that may serve as the basis of a principled interpretation of the substantive law of the Rome Statute. This interpretative...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Leiden journal of international law Vol. 27; no. 3; pp. 755 - 788
Main Authors: SADAT, LEILA NADYA, JOLLY, JARROD M.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 01.09.2014
Subjects:
Canons
Control theory
Courts
Criminal law
Criminal liability
HAGUE INTERNATIONAL TRIBUNALS: International Criminal Courts and Tribunals
International Criminal Court
International law
Jurisprudence
Liability
Provisions
Rorschach Test
Studies
Treaties
Trials
control theory
International Criminal Court
interpretation
modes of liability
Article 25
Vienna Convention
methodology
ISSN:0922-1565, 1478-9698
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:This article draws on well-established understandings of international treaty interpretation and the role of the judicial function to propose seven canons of treaty construction that may serve as the basis of a principled interpretation of the substantive law of the Rome Statute. This interpretative framework is then applied to the seemingly intractable debate within the Court and among scholars over the correct interpretation of Article 25, on modes of liability. The seven canons provide guidelines that may enable the ‘Rorschach blot’ of Article 25, capable of many divergent interpretations, to become uniformly and consistently understood and interpreted.
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ISSN:0922-1565
1478-9698
DOI:10.1017/S0922156514000296