Secondary Liability in International Criminal Law: A Study on Aiding and Abetting or Otherwise Assisting the Commission of International Crimes (3)

Notions such as complicity, accessory liability, as well as aiding and abetting frequently appear in international criminal law. This study focuses on the relevant legal issues concerning secondary liability as a mode of individual criminal responsibility. The first section of the book looks into the distinction between primary and secondary liability, the nature of secondary liability, and the approaches to prevent secondary liability from being over-inclusive. Additional sections analyze the body of law that has been shaped by the trials conducted in the aftermath of World War II, the trials that have emerged from the ad hoc tribunals for the crimes committed in the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and Rwanda (ICTR), and the trials which has been created by the EU Member States to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC). The main questions asked are: How does secondary liability relate to a system of perpetration and participation? How is it distinguished from other modes of liability? What are its actus reus and mens rea elements? Particular emphasis has been laid on the substantial and direct effect requirements, as well as on the notion of purposive facilitation. (Series: International Criminal Law - Vol. 3)