"This book provides a comparative assessment of the procedural law governing facts and evidence with references to over 900 judgments and decisions of the European and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights as well as the UN Human Rights Committee. It identifies underlying principles which govern the procedural law of these international human rights institutions"--

This book provides a comparative assessment of the procedural law governing facts and evidence with references to over 900 judgments and decisions of the European and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights as well as the UN Human Rights Committee. It identifies underlying principles which govern the procedural law of these international human rights institutions. Based on the premise of a contextualized procedural law governing facts and evidence, the book analyzes where current approaches lack a foundation in the contextualization premise and offers solutions for recurring procedural problems relating to questions of subsidiarity in fact-finding, burden and standard of proof, as well as the admissibility and evaluation of evidence.

In clear and concise words, this Handbook offers a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of the European Convention and the European Court of Human Rights and its case-law. Numerous cross-references guide the reader through the various topics. Various summaries condense the different principles of the Court’s case-law. With a Foreword by Judge Robert Spano, President of the European Court of Human Rights.

In fundamental rights adjudication, a court first has to determine whether the interest at stake falls within the scope of the fundamental right invoked. Whether or not an individual interest falls within the scope or ambit of one of the fundamental rights protected by the European Convention on Human Rights determines whether or not the European Court of Human Rights can decide on the merits of a case. This volume brings together a variety of legal scholars in order to examine the scope of fundamental rights. Topics range from the nature of human rights and the real or imagined risk of rights inflation to theories of positive obligations and social and economic rights. It contains contributions of a theoretical nature as well as analytical overviews of the ECtHR's approach. In addition, comparisons are made with domestic, EU and international law.

This book conducts an examination of the international legal regime of the continental shelf through the lens of international relations (IR), with a primary focus on global governance theory. Presenting a new perspective within the field of IR and international law, the book offers new insights into the rules, principles, practices, and actors that establish and govern social interactions and the management of common affairs at the transnational level. The governance framework within the continental shelf can encompass a wider scope than legal laws alone, incorporating informal rules or potentially disregarding formal “black letter” rules that may not be effectively applied in practice. To exemplify how governance theory and other IR theories contribute to the analysis of the legal regime concerning the continental shelf, the book conducts an in-depth examination of three significant issues: (i) the demarcation and delimitation of the continental shelf, (ii) the rights and obligations of coastal States in the continental shelf, and (iii) procedural matters related to the continental shelf and international maritime adjudication. This book will be of interest to students and scholars in the field of the law of the sea, international law, global governance, and international relations.

The International Court of Justice is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations and plays a central role in both the peaceful settlement of international disputes and the development of international law. This comprehensive Commentary on the Statute of the International Court of Justice, now in its second edition, analyses in detail not only the Statute of the Court itself but also the related provisions of the United Nations Charter as well as the relevant provisions of the Court's Rules of Procedure. Five years after the first edition was published, the second edition of the Commentary embraces current events before the International Court of Justice as well as before other courts and tribunals relevant for the interpretation and application of its Statute. The Commentary provides a comprehensive overview and analysis of all legal questions and issues the Court has had to address in the past and will have to address in the future. It illuminates the central issues of procedure and substance that the Court and counsel appearing before it face in their day-to-day work. In addition to commentary covering all of the articles of the Statute of the ICJ, plus the relevant articles of the Charter of the United Nations, the book includes three scene-setting chapters: Historical Introduction, General Principles of Procedural Law, and Discontinuation and Withdrawal. The second edition of the Commentary adds two important and instructive chapters on Counter-Claims and Evidentiary Issues. The combination of expert editors and commentators, and their assessment of new developments in the important work of the ICJ, make this a landmark publication in the field of international law.

This review examines the literature on procedural justice and the fair trial over the past two decades in the People’s Republic of China. Part 1 gives a wide-angle view of the key political events and developments that have shaped the experience of procedural justice and the fair trial in contemporary China. It provides a storyline that explains the political environment in which these concepts have developed over time. Part 2 examines how scholars understand the legal structures of the criminal process in relation to China’s political culture. Part 3 presents scholarly views on three enduring problems relating to the fair trial: a presumption of innocence, interrogational torture, and the role of lawyers in the criminal trial process. Procedural justice is a particularly pertinent issue today in China, because Xi Jinping’s yifa zhiguo 依法治国 (governing the nation in accordance with the law) governance platform seeks to embed a greater appreciation for procedural justice in criminal justice decision-making, to correct a politico-legal tradition overwhelmingly focused on substantive justice. Overall, the literature reviewed in this article points to the serious limitations in overcoming the politico-legal barriers to justice reforms that remain intact in the system, despite nearly four decades of constant reform.

This book provides a comprehensive explanation of what the right to a fair trial means in practice under international law. Focus on factual scenarios that practitioners may, it brings together sources and cases that define the right to a fair trial in criminal proceedings.

This book deals with the gathering of evidence in cross-border investigations in Europe. The issue of obtaining evidence in and from European countries has been among the most debated issues of EU cross-border cooperation in criminal matters over the last two decades, going through periods of intensive discussions and showing an extraordinary adaptability to the evolution of EU legislation for criminal matters. On the other hand, the prosecution and investigations of cross-border cases pose unprecedented challenges in the European scenario, characterized by the increasing flow and activity of citizens over the territory of more than one country and therefore by the need to lay the foundations of a transcultural criminal justice system. The book analyses this complex topic starting with the current perspectives of EU legislation, thus providing a critical analysis of the legislative initiative aimed at introducing a new tool for gathering almost any type of evidence in other Member States, i.e., the European Investigation Order. On a second level, this study deals with the solution models and human rights challenges posed by the increasingly intensive dialogues between domestic and supranational case laws, and formulates essential guidelines for setting up a fair transnational enquiry system in Europe.