Study on Complicity in the Rome Statute: From the Perspective of "Neutral Conduct"

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K22051
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: 0105:Law and related fields
• Research Institution: Shinshu University
• Principal Investigator: Yokohama Kazuya 信州大学, 学術研究院社会科学系, 准教授 (90878422)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-09-11 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 国際刑事裁判所 / 共犯 / 中立的幇助

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This project focuses on the criminal responsibility of persons whose contributions to core crimes are "marginal." For example, a cleaning staff, who works at the concentration camp where detainees are mistreated, does not directly participate in the crime, but he/she is involved in the maintenance of the criminal organization: should he/she be criminally responsible for the crimes committed?
To answer this question, the following studies were conducted. First, I surveyed the jurisprudence of the ICC to elucidate the requirements for complicity, thereby clarifying that the recent jurisprudence tends to rely on subjective elements to establish the accomplice liability. Second, the discussion in Germany on complicity through "neutral conduct" was surveyed. It shows that the limit of accomplice liability should be determined (also) in terms of the subjective aspect of conduct. Such a discussion is also helpful when analyzing the elements of complicity under the Rome Statute.

Free Research Field

刑法、国際刑事法

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

ICCが管轄する中核犯罪は、きわめて多数人の関与の下、組織的に遂行されることが多いが、（上述の）周辺的関与者を常に・例外なく処罰することは躊躇されよう。本研究は、このような中核犯罪の事情・性質を踏まえ、ICCの共犯規定の内容を解明することを通じて処罰範囲を明確化するものであり、翻って、きわめて軽微な寄与しかしていない関与行為者に、ICCの訴追からの保護を与えるものといえる。特に、我が国との関係では、たとえば自衛隊構成員が海外に派遣され、現地で中核犯罪に関わってしまった場合に、いかなる範囲でICCによる訴追・処罰が懸念されうるのかを明らかにできる点で、意義がある。