The criminal offence in international law.

The purpose of this thesis is to provide a study of a much neglected concept in international law, namely the criminal offence. The work consists of four parts which incorporate ten chapters. Part I introduces the study by examining the way in which the concept of criminal offence has developed through the various recognised sources of international law. The difficulties involved in distinguishing the criminal offence from other unlawful acts in international law, as well as the problem of defining the concept, are issues which are addressed in Part II, Part III examines seventeen classified criminal offences and practices in international law in order to determine the juridical indicia of the concept. Finally, Part IV addresses the legal consequences engendered by the concept of criminal offence, namely international criminal responsibility. Individual as well as State criminal responsibility in international law are discussed, particularly, in the light of the substantial contributions made by the International Law Commission in this field.