Source: https://casebook.icrc.org/print/21168
Timestamp: 2020-08-13 07:03:32
Document Index: 302471158

Matched Legal Cases: ['Art. 3', 'Art. 1', 'Art. 2', 'Art. 1', 'Art. 1', 'Art. 89', 'Art. 1', 'Art. 1', 'Art. 3', 'Art. 1', 'Arts 16', 'Art. 1', 'Art. 1', 'Art. 1', 'Art. 1', 'Art. 16', 'Art. 1', 'ART/365', 'ART/365', 'ART/470']

Home > Canada, Arms Transfer to Saudi Arabia
See also the case United Kingdom, Arms Trade with Saudi Arabia [2]
[Source: Federal Court of Canada, 2017 FC 84, 24 January 2017, available at https://www.fct-cf.gc.ca/en/home [3]]
[Source: Federal Court of Appeal, 2018 FCA 133, 6 July 2018, Reasons for Judgment, available at http://www.fca-caf.gc.ca/fca-caf_eng.html [4]]
2. Is Saudi Arabia a Party to the conflict in Yemen? What is the applicable law? (GC I-IV, Art. 3 [5]; P II, Art. 1 [6])
3. Is Canada a Party to the armed conflict in Yemen? (GC I-IV, Art. 2 [7])
4. (Document A, paras 60-62) What are the obligations of the High Contracting Parties under Common Art. 1 [8]? How should States implement them? What do “respect” and “ensure respect” mean? Is it a positive or a negative obligation? Both?
a. Are states that are not Parties to the conflict also bound by the provision [8]?
b. How can State Parties “ensure respect” for the Conventions? To act in conformity with Common Art. 1 [8], what means must they use?
d. What is the impact of Art. 89 of Additional Protocol I [9] on this obligation?
5. Does Common Art. 1 [8] states a mere possibility/recommendation to State Parties or does it impose an obligation on them to “respect and ensure respect”? Of means or result? Considering that not every State Party to the Conventions has taken measures when IHL was violated in the past, have all of them violated international humanitarian law?
6. (Document A, paras 67, 71-73)Does Common Article 1 apply only to IACs or also to NIACs? According to the Canadian Courts? According to the ICRC? In your opinion, are the findings of the Canadian Courts convincing? What are the arguments in favour and against such a view? (GC I-IV, Art. 1 [10]; GC I-IV, Art. 3 [11])
a. What are the conditions for aiding or assisting in the commission of an internationally wrongful act under the general regime of the ILC Articles on State Responsibility? Is Common Art. 1 [8] limited to or to be interpreted in line with the general rules on State Responsibility for internationally wrongful acts? (ILC Articles on State Responsibility, Arts 16, 40 [12])
b. In situations of armed conflict, could Common Art. 1 [8] be considered lex specialis to general rules on State Responsibility? If yes, would every State Party to the Geneva Conventions become an “injured state” according to the ILC Articles? Only the Parties to the conflict? Which consequences would this have on the measures that could be taken to “ensure respect”?
a. Does Common Art. 1 [8] impose limits on arms trade? If yes, should these limits only apply to Parties to the conflict? According to the Federal Court? In your opinion?
b. Is knowledge that arms supplied in the past were used to violate IHL sufficient to find a violation of Common Art. 1 [8]? Or does Common Art. 1 [8] require intent to assist in violations of IHL as in Art. 16 of the ILC Articles on State Responsibility [12]?
10. (Document A, para. 75) Are States “powerless” when confronted with IHL violations? What does the Federal Court mean when stating that IHL has to be interpreted and applied in conformity with the principle of state sovereignty? Can States ensure respect when providing weapons to a party to a conflict or are they “powerless” in this respect? Should there be a new kind of supervision mechanism for the compliance with IHL including with Common Art. 1 [8]? Why or why not? Should there be a mechanism accessible for individuals? International? National? With what characteristics?
Source URL: https://casebook.icrc.org/case-study/canada-arms-transfer-saudi-arabia
[2] https://casebook.icrc.org/case-study/united-kingdom-arms-trade-saudi-arabia
[3] https://www.fct-cf.gc.ca/en/home
[4] http://www.fca-caf.gc.ca/fca-caf_eng.html
[5] https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/applic/ihl/ihl.nsf/Comment.xsp?action=openDocument&amp;documentId=59F6CDFA490736C1C1257F7D004BA0EC
[6] https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/applic/ihl/ihl.nsf/Article.xsp?action=openDocument&amp;documentId=93F022B3010AA404C12563CD0051E738
[7] https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/applic/ihl/ihl.nsf/ART/365-570005?OpenDocument
[8] https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/ihl/WebART/365-570004
[9] https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/ihl/WebART/470-750115?OpenDocument
[10] https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/applic/ihl/ihl.nsf/Article.xsp?action=openDocument&amp;documentId=074D7AE3436CF248C12563CD00519E38
[12] http://legal.un.org/ilc/texts/instruments/english/draft_articles/9_6_2001.pdf