The standing of victims in the procedural design of the International Criminal Court

The thesis explores the autonomous standing of victims in the proceedings and in the evidentiary process before the International Criminal Court (‘the ICC’). For the purpose of elucidating the part played by victims as protagonists in their own right, the thesis brings forth a number of core characteristics that delimit the status of victims and distinguish it, accordingly, from the standing of the parties and from other non-party participants. Chapter I illuminates the eligibility of a person as a victim pursuant to rule 85 of the Rules of Procedure and Evidence as the starting point for any involvement of victims in the course of the proceedings. The thesis explores the multifaceted matters ensuing from the application and interpretation of this provision as a whole, as well as of each of the eligibility criteria. An important highlight into the independent yet non-party standing of victims within the ICC’s procedural design is provided in Chapter II by way of a comprehensive and innovative categorization of the array of rights afforded to victims by the normative framework. Chapter III embarks on a thorough analysis of the nature and the confines of the core right of victims to participate in the criminal justice process and the manifold issues ensuing from each of the prerequisites of article 68(3) of the Rome Statute. The intriguing phenomenon of duality of victim-witness status is contemplated in Chapter IV in light of the overarching principles and fundamental concepts in the realm of evidence law. The part played by victims in the evidentiary process on the merits of the criminal case, as well as in reparation proceedings is elucidated in Chapter V against the backdrop of the overall rationale of the ICC’s fact-finding mechanism, including the respective roles of the parties and of the Chamber. The thesis lends support to the conclusion that the standing and the part accorded to victims throughout the ICC’s process ensue from the purpose of their participation, as well as from the objective and subject matter of the proceedings at hand

Towards a Unified Knowledge-Based Approach to Modality Choice

This paper advances a unified knowledge-based approach to the process of choosing the most appropriate modality or combination of modalities in multimodal output generation. We propose a Modality Ontology (MO) that models the knowledge needed to support the two most fundamental processes determining modality choice – modality allocation (choosing the modality or set of modalities that can best support a particular type of information) and modality combination (selecting an optimal final combination of modalities). In the proposed ontology we model the main levels which collectively determine the characteristics of each modality and the specific relationships between different modalities that are important for multi-modal meaning making. This ontology aims to support the automatic selection of modalities and combinations of modalities that are suitable to convey the meaning of the intended message

Special aspects of the pre-contractual liability when concluding commercial transactions

This article examines into the problem of pre-contractual liability for damages when concluding commercial transactions. The relevance of the topic stems from the non-existence of a general knowledge of its extent and nature in the specialized literature. It examines the separate theoretical statements and special features within the set of facts for its emergence. The author supports the notion that the commercial legislation should be amended by an explicit provision that sets the limits of the pre-contractual liability in the commercial transactions as is the case in the civil legislation framework

The AISB’08 Symposium on Multimodal Output Generation (MOG 2008)

Welcome to Aberdeen at the Symposium on Multimodal Output Generation (MOG 2008)! In this volume the papers presented at the MOG 2008 international symposium are collected

Alternatives for maintaining the viability of the enterprise in post-crisis phase

The purpose of this article is to investigate the alternatives for getting out of the crisis in each enterprise to maintain its viability. Different approaches in the specialized literature in the field of management are explored. The legal aspects of these alternatives and good international practices in the field have been explored. A sufficient number of literature sources describing the theory and practice of organizational crises have been studied and systematized. The results will help business management to make the right choice to overcome the crisis

Analysis of Gentamicin Sulfate in Medicinal Products After Expiry Date

Gentamicin is one of the most commonly prescribed antibiotics in the aminoglycoside class of drugs. This is largely due to its spectrum of action, low cost, and affordability. It is both effective against gram-positive and gram-negative organisms. Gentamicin has no oral absorption, so there are no oral dosage forms. There are various commercial products on the market that contain gentamicin in the form of solutions for intramuscular and intravenous administration, eye dosage forms, as well as those for external applications. For the purposes of the present study, by using a UV-VIS spectrophotometer, we have determined the content of gentamicin in an injectable dosage form at a concentration of 40 mg/mL in ampoules with an expiration date of 2016 or 2017

O Tribunal de Nuremberg como um Ícone da Justiça de Transição: Aspectos Históricos da Responsabilização Política e do Quadro Ideológico dos Direitos Humanos

This paper examines some aspects of the Tribunals of Nuremberg and Tokyo, in the aftermath of World War II. Its aim is to highlight some of the controversies that arose and emphasizes their impact on the new post-war political international context, the major political referents that emerged and the dilemmas of political accountability that chart the search for democratic politics ever since those landmark historical events.Este trabalho analisa alguns aspectos dos Tribunais de Nuremberg e de Tóquio, ao fim da Segunda Guerra Mundial. Seu objetivo é destacar algumas das polêmicas que surgiram neles e enfatizar o seu impacto sobre o novo contexto político internacional do pós-guerra, os principais referenciais políticos que surgiram e os dilemas da responsabilização política que definem a busca por políticas democráticas desde a época desses marcos históricos.&nbsp

Legislative Approaches for Regulation of the Bankruptcy: State and Prospects

The present article is a comprehensive research focused on the issue of legislative approaches for regulation of bankruptcy in individual countries. The occurrence of economic crises and the globalization in international relations put forward the issue of preserving viable enterprises regardless of any financial hardships arisen and any risk of initiating a court procedure of bankruptcy. The establishment of updated legislation is inextricably bound up with the building up of a theoretical concept of insolvency based on the contemporary doctrinal achievements and practice. The comparative legal analysis of regulations shows the efforts put in science for the creation of a common concept and approach to bankruptcy issues. In this relation, the subject of scientific and research interest are the characteristic features of the legal regulations for handling insolvency in individual countries, determined by their belonging to the two main legal systems: the system of common law and the continental legal system (civil law). The scientific thesis in the present study is that regardless of the specific features of the historical and legal regulation of the bankruptcy concept, currently, a process of introducing rehabilitation procedures of the US legislation (Chapter 11 of Bankruptcy Code) into the individual legal systems of a number of countries in Europe is going on. In this sense, a trend is arising of applying a single legislative approach related to the concept of fresh start of conscientious entrepreneurs and an opportunity of sanitation of their enterprises before the initiation of formal judicial proceedings of bankruptcy on the basis of mutual concessions and compromises made by the creditors