L'Intention génocidaire en droit international : Entre exigence conceptuelle et défi probatoire

Details

Supervisors

Van Steenberghe, Raphael

Faculty

Faculté de droit et de criminologie

Degree label

Master [120] en droit, à finalité spécialisée (horaire décalé)

Abstract

enThis thesis examines genocidal intent (dolus specialis) in international law, the distinctive element of the crime of genocide under the 1948 Convention. The study analyzes the evolution of this concept from its creation by Raphaël Lemkin to contemporary challenges posed by new forms of collective violence. The research is structured in three parts. The first explores the legal foundations of genocidal intent, analyzing the 1948 Convention and jurisprudence from international tribunals (ICTR, ICTY, ICC). The second part examines methods for identifying and establishing this specific intent, distinguishing between direct and indirect evidence, and analyzing inference techniques developed through case law. The third part addresses contemporary challenges: the problematic exclusion of certain groups (political, social), cultural genocide, the impact of digital technologies, and hybrid forms of violence (terrorism-genocide, environmental genocides). The study reveals a fundamental tension between requiring a high evidentiary standard to preserve genocide’s specificity and the need to ensure effective prosecution. The thesis concludes on the necessity of adapting the concept to 21st-century realities while preserving its essence, proposing notably a differentiation of evidentiary standards according to procedural contexts and better integration of new technologies in analyzing genocidal intent.