Normy ius cogens w orzeczeniach i opiniach doradczych Międzyamerykańskiego Trybunału Praw Człowieka

Abstract

The concept of ius cogens norms is one of the most controversial issue in the international law. These norms were definied in the art. 53 of Vienna Convention on the law of treaties of 1969, according to which ius cogens norm it is a norm accepted and recognized by the international community of States as a whole as a norm from which no derogation is permitted and which can be modified only by a subsequent norm of the international law having the same character. This definition indicates that these norms limit the ability of States of creation or change the norms of the international law. However, the indicated definition does not include examples, scope and substance of ius cogens norms. In the commentary to the art. 50 of the draft articles on the law of treaties the International Law Commission stated that substance of these norms will be worked out in the States’ practice and in the judicial decisions of international courts . Contrary to International Court of Justice Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR), in its judicial decisions in great measure widened the scope and the substance of ius cogens norms. Consequently, IACtHR has developed a progressive case law in this realm. In separate opinion, in the case Caesar v. Trinidad and Tobago from 2005, judge A.A. Conçado Trindade concluded that the IACtHR, in identification of ius cogens norms, have done more than any other international court. In its judgements and advisory opinions IACtHR recognized that e.g. forced going missing, tortures, discriminations, extrajudicial executions are the infringements of ius cogens norms. Taking into consideration jurisprudence of the IACtHR it is hard to say on what grounds it was prescribed that a given norm is forming a part of ius cogens. This article analyses the way the IACtHR identified ius cogens norms. Therefore it was indispensable to define its competence ratione materiae. Next, taking into consideration the gravity and the nature of infringement and the fact that all infringements of human rights which have been described simultaneously constitute violation of other human rights, this paper is limited only to three of them. It also outlines what functions, in the jurisprudence of IACtHR, fulfil the attribution to the norms the status of ius cogens norms.