Customary international law

Canada

Canada - Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act 2000 (2019)

Offences within Canada

Article 4

Genocide, etc., committed in Canada

Definitions

3) The definitions in this subsection apply in this section.

“"crime against humanity" means murder, extermination, enslavement, deportation, imprisonment, torture, sexual violence, persecution or any other inhumane act or omission that is committed against any civilian population or any identifiable group and that, at the time and in the place of its commission, constitutes a crime against humanity according to customary international law or conventional international law or by virtue of its being criminal according to the general principles of law recognized by the community of nations, whether or not it constitutes a contravention of the law in force at the time and in the place of its commission. (crime contre l’humanité).

Offences within Canada

Article 4

Genocide, etc., committed in Canada

Definitions

3) The definitions in this subsection apply in this section.

“"genocide ” means an act or omission committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, an identifiable group of persons, as such, that, at the time and in the place of its commission, constitutes genocide according to customary international law or conventional international law or by virtue of its being criminal according to the general principles of law recognized by the community of nations, whether or not it constitutes a contravention of the law in force at the time and in the place of its commission.

Offences within Canada

Article 4

Genocide, etc., committed in Canada

Definitions

3) The definitions in this subsection apply in this section.

"war crime" means an act or omission committed during an armed conflict that, at the time and in the place of its commission, constitutes a war crime according to

customary international law or conventional international law applicable to armed

conflicts, whether or not it constitutes a contravention of the law in force at the time

and in the place of its commission.

Offences within Canada

Article 4

Genocide, etc., committed in Canada

Interpretation - customary international law

(4) For greater certainty, crimes described in Articles 6 and 7 and paragraph 2 of Article 8 of the Rome Statute are, as of July 17, 1998, crimes according to customary international law. This does not limit or prejudice in any way the application of existing or developing rules of international law.

Offences outside Canada

Article 6

Offences committed outside Canada

Definitions

(3) The definitions in this subsection apply in this section.

“"crime against humanity ” means murder, extermination, enslavement, deportation, imprisonment, torture, sexual violence, persecution or any other inhumane act or omission that is committed against any civilian population or any identifiable group and that, at the time and in the place of its commission, constitutes a crime against humanity according to customary international law or conventional international law or by virtue of its being criminal according to the general principles of law recognized by the community of nations, whether or not it constitutes a contravention of the law in force at the time and in the place of its commission.

Offences Outside Canada

Article 6

Genocide etc. committed outside Canada

Definitions

(3) The definitions in this subsection apply in this section.
"genocide ” means an act or omission committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, an identifiable group of persons, as such, that at the time and in the place of its commission, constitutes genocide according to customary international law or conventional international law or by virtue of its being criminal according to the general principles of law recognized by the community of nations, whether or not it constitutes a contravention of the law in force at the time and in the place of its commission.

Offences Outside Canada

Article 6

Genocide etc. committed outside Canada

Definitions

(3) The definitions in this subsection apply in this section.

"war crime" means an act or omission committed during an armed conflict that, at the time and in the place of its commission, constitutes a war crime according to customary international law or conventional international law applicable to armed conflicts, whether or not it constitutes a contravention of the law in force at the time and in the place of its commission.

Offences Outside Canada

Article 6

Genocide etc. committed outside Canada

Interpretation - customary international law

(4) For greater certainty, crimes described in articles 6 and 7 and paragraph 2 of article 8 of the Rome Statute are, as of July 17, 1998, crimes according to customary international law, and may be crimes according to customary international law before that date. This does not limit or prejudice in any way the application of existing or developing rules of international law.

Offences Outside Canada

Article 6

Genocide etc. committed outside Canada

Interpretation - crimes against humanity

(5) For greater certainty, the offence of crime against humanity was part of customary international law or was criminal according to the general principles of law recognized by the community of nations before the coming into force of either of the following:

(a) the Agreement for the prosecution and punishment of the major war criminals of the European Axis, signed at London on August 8, 1945; and

(b) the Proclamation by the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, dated January 19, 1946.

Offences Outside Canada

Article 7

Breach of responsibility by a military commander

Application before coming into force

(5) Where an act or omission constituting an offence under this section occurred before the coming into force of this section, subparagraphs (1)(a)(ii) and (2)(a)(ii) apply to the extent that, at the time and in the place of the act or omission, the act or omission constituted a contravention of customary international law or conventional international law or was criminal according to the general principles of law recognized by the community of nations, whether or not it constituted a contravention of the law in force at the time and in the place of its commission.

Rome Statute

Article 10

Nothing in this Part shall be interpreted as limiting or prejudicing in any way existing or developing rules of international law for purposes other than this Statute.