The Feasibility of Committing War Crimes and Against Humanity by Peacekeepers in The Framework of The Rome Statute

Abstract

Given the growing approval of peacekeeping operations by the UN Security Council and the possibility of war crimes and crimes against humanity by peacekeepers in the area under operation, it is imperative that these forces be criminally accountable for their actions during their mission. In fact, the importance of accountability of these forces for committing these crimes has attracted the attention of the media and the international press. Therefore, given the limitations of competence and the lack of a proper mechanism for prosecuting UN peacekeepers in the United Nations, the prosecution of these forces in the host government, the sender or the third government faces obstacles. In legal writings, the possibility of prosecuting peacekeepers in the International Criminal Court has been less considered. This article seeks to answer the question of whether such a prosecution is possible under international criminal law. The failure of governments to prosecute the criminal behavior of peacekeepers shows that an independent international tribunal is needed. If the conditions for committing a crime exist and the interested governments do not want or cannot prosecute the accused and the crimes committed, the peacekeepers can be prosecuted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Keywords

• international criminal court
• war crimes
• crimes against humanity
• peacekeeping forces
• rome statute