Defense in International Criminal Proceedings

Without question, international criminal law (ICL) has become a legal growth industry. Regional supranational systems, such as the European Union, are beginning to prepare a genuine supranational criminal law that may supersede the national jurisdictions. These efforts are still in their infancy, but along with the creation of the prosecutorial framework and measures like e.g. the European Arrest Warrant, EUROPOL or EUROJUST, the defence lawyers are preparing themselves for the new challenge. It is thus useful and necessary to cover these developments from the get go. The book provides students in law school courses on international human rights law and ICL with the essential materials to understand the vital importance of an adequate defence in international criminal proceedings. Further, the text gives legal practitioners who may consider extending their field of practice to the international level a look at the diversity of the tasks they will encounter and prepare them for the legal culture shock inevitable at the international tribunals and courts.