Abstract

The end of the Cold War marked the start of a new era in global politics in which legalism and the rule of law became increasingly important in international relations and the number of international legal institutions grew. ¹ In particular, international criminal law, which had largely been moribund during the previous decades, was revived with the creation of the ad hoc tribunals, the hybrid courts and the International Criminal Court (ICC). Human rights activists and the international legal community hailed these developments as important steps towards ending the cultures of impunity that so often prevail after mass violence. ² Nonetheless, despite these developments, many countries continue to introduce amnesty laws to shield individuals or groups from legal sanctions, even for the most serious crimes. ³