Judicial Discretion in the Interpretation of International Crimes: Revisiting the Legality Principle

This book sets out a legality-centred model to better understand the interpretation of crimes in international criminal law.

It offers a new way of understanding the interpretation of crime as a two-dimensional process: determining what the law is and interpreting whether that law in fact criminalises the conduct in question. This model affects the process and the outcome of judicial interpretation. The book moves beyond the abstract by applying the model to two case studies: (1) organisational policy as a contextual element of crimes against humanity, and (2) the crime of forced marriage. It brings often-overlooked criminal law theory into the field of international criminal law, offering a fresh, innovative perspective on interpretation and placing the legality principle back at the centre of crime interpretation.