International Criminal Law and Immunities

1.       Which immunities do we recognise in international law? Which are the legal sources of
international immunities?

2.       Please read the decision in the Pinochet case. Concentrate on the following issues.

a.       What was at the heart of the Pinochet Case? Which important rules of international law
have come into play in the Pinochet decision?

b.       How did the Lords decide the case? Would the case be decided differently if Pinochet were
to stand before an international criminal tribunal?

c.       Please go through the Convention against Torture and consider in the light of the Pinochet
case whether head-of-state immunity is reconcilable with the Convention.

d.       What is the role of universal jurisdiction in cases like Pinochet?

3.       Please compare immunity rationae personae and ratione materiae.

Thank you and see you soon.

ZN