On human rights – particularly crimes against Humanity

Abstract

In today's world of devastation, largely due to armed conflicts and humanitarian tragedies, as well as to the phenomenon of terrorism - which has plagued societies from the East to the West - the role of states in fulfilling their obligations towards respecting, protecting and ensuring the realization of human rights figures prominently. As far as terrorist acts are concerned, there is no consensus on their possible inclusion in the very concept of "crimes against humanity", although some authors express their agreement of its inclusion. In view of the non-existence of a Convention on Crimes against Humanity, such international crimes - which have jus cogens status - create obligations for States, such as the obligation to investigate, punish and extradite. In this context, the Responsibility to Protect (or R2P) is also highlighted, as the state has the prime responsibility to protect the populations from crimes against humanity.