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<span>Toggle Treaties subsection</span> </button> <ul id="toc-Treaties-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Treaties_as_custom" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Treaties_as_custom"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4.1</span> <span>Treaties as custom</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Treaties_as_custom-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-The_United_Nations_Charter" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#The_United_Nations_Charter"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4.2</span> <span>The United Nations Charter</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-The_United_Nations_Charter-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-International_custom" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#International_custom"> <div 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class="vector-toc-numb">5.2</span> <span>Practice by international organizations</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Practice_by_international_organizations-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Opinio_juris" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Opinio_juris"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">5.3</span> <span><i>Opinio juris</i></span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Opinio_juris-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Jus_cogens" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Jus_cogens"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">5.4</span> <span><i>Jus cogens</i></span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Jus_cogens-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-General_principles_of_law" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" 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id="toc-Judicial_decisions" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Judicial_decisions"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">7.1</span> <span>Judicial decisions</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Judicial_decisions-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Juristic_writings" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Juristic_writings"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">7.2</span> <span>Juristic writings</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Juristic_writings-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-See_also" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#See_also"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">8</span> <span>See also</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-See_also-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-References" 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.mbox-empty-cell,.mw-parser-output .compact-ambox .hide-when-compact{display:none}</style><table class="box-Multiple_issues plainlinks metadata ambox ambox-content ambox-multiple_issues compact-ambox" role="presentation"><tbody><tr><td class="mbox-image"><div class="mbox-image-div"><span typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/b4/Ambox_important.svg/40px-Ambox_important.svg.png" decoding="async" width="40" height="40" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/b4/Ambox_important.svg/60px-Ambox_important.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/b4/Ambox_important.svg/80px-Ambox_important.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="40" data-file-height="40" /></span></span></div></td><td class="mbox-text"><div class="mbox-text-span"><div class="multiple-issues-text mw-collapsible"><b>This article has multiple issues.</b> Please help <b><a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Sources_of_international_law" title="Special:EditPage/Sources of international law">improve it</a></b> or discuss these issues on the <b><a href="/wiki/Talk:Sources_of_international_law" title="Talk:Sources of international law">talk page</a></b>. <small><i>(<a href="/wiki/Help:Maintenance_template_removal" title="Help:Maintenance template removal">Learn how and when to remove these messages</a>)</i></small> <div class="mw-collapsible-content"> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1251242444"><table class="box-Cleanup plainlinks metadata ambox ambox-style ambox-Cleanup" role="presentation"><tbody><tr><td class="mbox-image"><div class="mbox-image-div"><span typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f2/Edit-clear.svg/40px-Edit-clear.svg.png" decoding="async" width="40" height="40" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f2/Edit-clear.svg/60px-Edit-clear.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f2/Edit-clear.svg/80px-Edit-clear.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="48" data-file-height="48" /></span></span></div></td><td class="mbox-text"><div class="mbox-text-span">This article may <b>require <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Cleanup" title="Wikipedia:Cleanup">cleanup</a></b> to meet Wikipedia's <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style">quality standards</a>. The specific problem is: <b>general standards.</b><span class="hide-when-compact"> Please help <a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Sources_of_international_law" title="Special:EditPage/Sources of international law">improve this article</a> if you can.</span> <span class="date-container"><i>(<span class="date">December 2019</span>)</i></span><span class="hide-when-compact"><i> (<small><a href="/wiki/Help:Maintenance_template_removal" title="Help:Maintenance template removal">Learn how and when to remove this message</a></small>)</i></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1251242444"><table class="box-Essay-like plainlinks metadata ambox ambox-style ambox-essay-like" role="presentation"><tbody><tr><td class="mbox-image"><div class="mbox-image-div"><span typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f2/Edit-clear.svg/40px-Edit-clear.svg.png" decoding="async" width="40" height="40" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f2/Edit-clear.svg/60px-Edit-clear.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f2/Edit-clear.svg/80px-Edit-clear.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="48" data-file-height="48" /></span></span></div></td><td class="mbox-text"><div class="mbox-text-span">This article <b>is written like a <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:What_Wikipedia_is_not#Wikipedia_is_not_a_publisher_of_original_thought" title="Wikipedia:What Wikipedia is not">personal reflection, personal essay, or argumentative essay</a></b> that states a Wikipedia editor's personal feelings or presents an original argument about a topic.<span class="hide-when-compact"> Please <a class="external text" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sources_of_international_law&action=edit">help improve it</a> by rewriting it in an <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Writing_better_articles#Information_style_and_tone" title="Wikipedia:Writing better articles">encyclopedic style</a>.</span> <span class="date-container"><i>(<span class="date">September 2022</span>)</i></span><span class="hide-when-compact"><i> (<small><a href="/wiki/Help:Maintenance_template_removal" title="Help:Maintenance template removal">Learn how and when to remove this message</a></small>)</i></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table> </div> </div><span class="hide-when-compact"><i> (<small><a href="/wiki/Help:Maintenance_template_removal" title="Help:Maintenance template removal">Learn how and when to remove this message</a></small>)</i></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <p class="mw-empty-elt"> </p><p><a href="/wiki/International_law" title="International law">International law</a>, also known as "law of nations", refers to the body of rules which regulate the conduct of <a href="/wiki/Sovereign_states" class="mw-redirect" title="Sovereign states">sovereign states</a> in their relations with one another.<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> <b>Sources of international law</b> include <a href="/wiki/Treaties" class="mw-redirect" title="Treaties">treaties</a>, <a href="/wiki/Customary_international_law" title="Customary international law">international customs</a>, general widely recognized principles of law, the decisions of national and lower courts, and scholarly writings. They are the materials and processes out of which the rules and principles regulating the <a href="/wiki/International_community" title="International community">international community</a> are developed. They have been influenced by a range of political and <a href="/wiki/Legal_theory" class="mw-redirect" title="Legal theory">legal theories</a>. </p> <meta property="mw:PageProp/toc" /> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Modern_views">Modern views</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Sources_of_international_law&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: Modern views"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Article 38(1) of the <a href="/wiki/Statute_of_the_International_Court_of_Justice" title="Statute of the International Court of Justice">Statute of the International Court of Justice</a> is generally recognized as a definitive statement of the sources of international law.<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> It requires the Court to apply, among other things, (a) international conventions, whether general or particular, establishing rules expressly recognized by the contesting states; (b) international custom, as evidence of a general practice accepted as law; (c) the general principles of law recognized by civilized nations; (d) subject to the provisions of Article 59, judicial decisions and the teachings of the most highly qualified publicists of the various nations, as subsidiary means for the determination of rules of law.<a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://www.icj-cij.org/documents/index.php?p1=4&p2=2&p3=0">[1]</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20110629193835/http://www.icj-cij.org/documents/index.php?p1=4&p2=2&p3=0">Archived</a> 2011-06-29 at the <a href="/wiki/Wayback_Machine" title="Wayback Machine">Wayback Machine</a> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Historic_considerations_and_development">Historic considerations and development</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Sources_of_international_law&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: Historic considerations and development"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>During the 19th century, it was recognized by <a href="/wiki/Legal_positivism" title="Legal positivism">legal positivists</a> that a <a href="/wiki/Sovereignty" title="Sovereignty">sovereign</a> could limit its authority to act by consenting to an <a href="/wiki/Treaty" title="Treaty">agreement</a> according to the principle <i><a href="/wiki/Pacta_sunt_servanda" title="Pacta sunt servanda">pacta sunt servanda</a></i>. This consensual view of international law was reflected in the 1920 Statute of the <a href="/wiki/Permanent_Court_of_International_Justice" title="Permanent Court of International Justice">Permanent Court of International Justice</a>, and was later preserved in Article 38(1) of the 1946 Statute of the <a href="/wiki/International_Court_of_Justice" title="International Court of Justice">International Court of Justice</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-auto_3-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-auto-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The core of broad principles of law is general and dynamic, and they can sometimes be reduced to a proverb or a basic idea. Unlike other types of regulations, such as ordered law or agreements, broad standards of law have not been "established" according to the right sources of law. General norms of law, on the other hand, are regarded as a component of positive law, even if they are only used as auxiliary devices. They define critical principles for the framework's actual operation and, in general, are drafted from the legal executive. General standards of law have been the subject of extensive doctrinal debate in international law, owing to the various connotations attributed to the concept and the hypothetical concerns that they raise. The use of the expression "central standards of international law," which is at the top of the overall set of laws and begins in settlement or custom (e.g., the guideline of sovereign correspondence of states or the rule of the forbiddance of danger or the use of power), and which will not be managed here, causes a lot of confusion. Given the language used in Article 38, paragraph 1(c) of the Statute of the <a href="/wiki/International_Court_of_Justice" title="International Court of Justice">International Court of Justice</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-auto_3-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-auto-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> ("universal standards of law as recognised by acculturated countries"), the beginning of universal standards of law as applied at the global level has also been a source of debate. The conventional wisdom holds that these standards have their origins in homegrown general systems of laws. Once it is established that some of these broad instruments are frequently shared rules found in domestic systems, they can be utilised in international law as well. They are rational derivations that can be found in any overall group of laws: the standard of restitution for harm committed, the standard of rule understanding, or those used for the purpose of rule struggles—many of them known through Latin adages—are true models. Various general legal standards, such as "audiatur et altera" standards, "actori incumbit onus probandi", or the method that the designated authority of benefits is also judge of the coincidental locale, have been promoted by the legal executive policy is very important of any war. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Hierarchy">Hierarchy</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Sources_of_international_law&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: Hierarchy"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>On the question of preference between sources of international law, rules established by <a href="/wiki/Treaty" title="Treaty">treaty</a> will take preference if such an instrument exists. It is also argued however that international treaties and international custom are sources of international law of equal validity; new custom may supersede older treaties and new treaties may override older custom. Also, <a href="/wiki/Peremptory_norm" title="Peremptory norm"><i>jus cogens</i> (peremptory norm)</a> is a custom, not a treaty. Judicial decisions and juristic writings are regarded as auxiliary sources of international law, whereas it is unclear whether the general principles of law recognized by 'civilized nations' should be recognized as a principal or auxiliary source of international law. Nevertheless, treaty, custom, and general principles of law are generally recognized as primary sources of international law. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Treaties">Treaties</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Sources_of_international_law&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: Treaties"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1236090951">.mw-parser-output .hatnote{font-style:italic}.mw-parser-output div.hatnote{padding-left:1.6em;margin-bottom:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .hatnote i{font-style:normal}.mw-parser-output .hatnote+link+.hatnote{margin-top:-0.5em}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .hatnote{display:none!important}}</style><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/wiki/Treaties" class="mw-redirect" title="Treaties">Treaties</a></div> <p>Treaties and conventions are the persuasive source of international law and are considered "hard law." Treaties can play the role of <a href="/wiki/Contract" title="Contract">contracts</a> between two or more parties, such as an <a href="/wiki/Extradition" title="Extradition">extradition</a> treaty or a defense pact. Treaties can also be <a href="/wiki/Legislation" title="Legislation">legislation</a> to regulate a particular aspect of international relations or form the constitutions of international organizations. Whether or not all treaties can be regarded as sources of law, they are sources of obligation for the parties to them. Article 38(1)(a) of the ICJ Statute, which uses the term "international conventions", concentrates upon treaties as a source of contractual obligation but also acknowledges the possibility of a state expressly accepting the obligations of a treaty to which it is not formally a party. </p><p>For a treaty-based rule to be a source of law, rather than simply a source of obligation, it must either be capable of affecting non-parties or have consequences for parties more extensive than those specifically imposed by the treaty itself. </p><p>Thus, the procedures or methods by treaties become legally binding are formal source of law which is a process by a legal rule comes into existence: it is law creating.<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Treaties_as_custom">Treaties as custom</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Sources_of_international_law&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: Treaties as custom"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Some treaties are the result of codifying existing <a href="/wiki/Customary_international_law" title="Customary international law">customary law</a>, such as laws governing the global commons, and <i><a href="/wiki/Jus_ad_bellum" title="Jus ad bellum">jus ad bellum</a></i>. While the purpose is to establish a code of general application, its effectiveness depends upon the number of states that ratify or accede to the particular convention. Relatively few such instruments have a sufficient number of parties to be regarded as international law in their own right. The most obvious example is the 1949 <a href="/wiki/Geneva_Conventions" title="Geneva Conventions">Geneva Conventions for the Protection of War Victims</a>. </p><p>Most multi-lateral treaties fall short of achieving such a near-universal degree of formal acceptance and are dependent upon their provisions being regarded as representing customary international law and, by this indirect route, as binding upon non-parties. This outcome is possible in a number of ways: </p> <ul><li>When the treaty rule reproduces an existing rule of customary law, the rule will be clarified in terms of the treaty provision. A notable example is the <a href="/wiki/Vienna_Convention_on_the_Law_of_Treaties" title="Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties">Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties</a> 1969, which was considered by the ICJ to be law even before it had been brought into force.<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></li> <li>When a customary rule is in the process of development, its incorporation in a multilateral treaty may have the effect of consolidating or crystallizing the law in the form of that rule. It is not always easy to identify when this occurs. Where the practice is less developed, the treaty provision may not be enough to crystallize the rule as part of customary international law.<sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></li> <li>Even if the rule is new, the drafting of the treaty provision may be the impetus for its adoption in the practice of states, and it is the subsequent acceptance of the rule by states that renders it effective as part of customary law.<sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> If a broad definition is adopted of state practice, the making of a treaty would fall within the definition. Alternatively, it is possible to regard the treaty as the final act of state practice required to establish the rule in question, or as the necessary articulation of the rule to give it the <i><a href="/wiki/Opinio_juris_sive_necessitatis" title="Opinio juris sive necessitatis">opinio juris</a></i> of customary international law.</li> <li>Convention-based "<a href="/wiki/Instant_custom" class="mw-redirect" title="Instant custom">instant custom</a>" has been identified by the ICJ on several occasions as representing customary law without explanation of whether the provision in question was supported by state practice. This has happened with respect to a number of provisions of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties 1969. If "instant custom" is valid as law, it could deny to third parties the normal consequences of non-accession.</li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="The_United_Nations_Charter">The United Nations Charter</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Sources_of_international_law&action=edit&section=6" title="Edit section: The United Nations Charter"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Pursuant to <a href="/wiki/Chapter_XVI_of_the_United_Nations_Charter#Article_103" title="Chapter XVI of the United Nations Charter">Chapter XVI, Article 103</a> of the <a href="/wiki/United_Nations_Charter" class="mw-redirect" title="United Nations Charter">United Nations Charter</a>, the obligations under the United Nations Charter overrides the terms of any other <a href="/wiki/Treaty" title="Treaty">treaty</a>. Meanwhile, its <a href="/wiki/Preamble_to_the_United_Nations_Charter" title="Preamble to the United Nations Charter">Preamble</a> affirms the establishment of the obligations out of treaties and source of international law. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="International_custom">International custom</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Sources_of_international_law&action=edit&section=7" title="Edit section: International custom"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/wiki/Customary_international_law" title="Customary international law">Customary international law</a></div> <p>Article 38(1)(b) of the ICJ Statute refers to "international custom" as a source of international law, specifically emphasizing the two requirements of state practice plus acceptance of the practice as obligatory or <i><a href="/wiki/Opinio_juris_sive_necessitatis" title="Opinio juris sive necessitatis">opinio juris sive necessitatis</a></i> (usually abbreviated as <i>opinio juris</i>). </p><p>Derived from the consistent practice of (originally) Western states accompanied by opinio juris (the conviction of States that the consistent practice is required by a legal obligation), <a href="/wiki/Customary_international_law" title="Customary international law">customary international law</a> is differentiated from acts of <a href="/wiki/Comity" title="Comity">comity</a> (mutual recognition of government acts) by the presence of <i>opinio juris</i> (although in some instances, acts of comity have developed into customary international law, i.e. <a href="/wiki/Diplomatic_immunity" title="Diplomatic immunity">diplomatic immunity</a>). Treaties have gradually displaced much customary international law. This development is similar to the replacement of customary or common law by codified law in municipal legal settings, but customary international law continues to play a significant role in international law. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="State_practice">State practice</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Sources_of_international_law&action=edit&section=8" title="Edit section: State practice"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>This element involves an examination of what rules states are observing.<sup id="cite_ref-Wood_Law_2014_h359_8-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Wood_Law_2014_h359-8"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>8<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> When examining state practice to determine relevant rules of international law, it is necessary to take into account every activity of the organs and officials of states that relate to that purpose. There has been continuing debate over where a distinction should be drawn as to the weight that should be attributed to what states do, rather than what they say represents the law. In its most extreme form, this would involve rejecting what states say as practice and relegating it to the status of evidence of <i>opinio juris</i>.<sup id="cite_ref-9" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-9"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>9<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> A more moderate version would evaluate what a state says by reference to the occasion on which the statement was made.<sup id="cite_ref-10" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-10"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>10<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> It is only relatively powerful countries with extensive international contacts and interests that have regular opportunities of contributing by deed to the practice of international law. The principal means of contribution to state practice for the majority of states will be at meetings of international organizations, particularly the <a href="/wiki/UN_General_Assembly" class="mw-redirect" title="UN General Assembly">UN General Assembly</a>, by voting and otherwise expressing their view on matters under consideration. Moreover, there are circumstances in which what states say may be the only evidence of their view as to what conduct is required in a particular situation.<sup id="cite_ref-11" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-11"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>11<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The notion of practice establishing a customary rule implies that the practice is followed regularly, or that such state practice must be "common, consistent and concordant".<sup id="cite_ref-12" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-12"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>12<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Given the size of the international community, the practice does not have to encompass all states or be completely uniform. There has to be a sufficient degree of participation, especially on the part of states whose interests are likely to be most affected,<sup id="cite_ref-13" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-13"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>13<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> and an absence of substantial dissent.<sup id="cite_ref-14" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-14"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>14<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> There have been a number of occasions on which the ICJ has rejected claims that a customary rule existed because of a lack of consistency in the practice brought to its attention.<sup id="cite_ref-15" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-15"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>15<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Within the context of a specific dispute, however, it is not necessary to establish the generality of practice. A rule may apply if a state has accepted the rule as applicable to it individually, or because the two states belong to a group of states between which the rule applies.<sup id="cite_ref-16" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-16"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>16<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>A dissenting state is entitled to deny the opposability of a rule in question if it can demonstrate its <a href="/wiki/Persistent_objector" title="Persistent objector">persistent objection</a> to that rule,<sup id="cite_ref-17" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-17"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>17<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> either as a member of a regional group<sup id="cite_ref-18" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-18"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>18<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> or by virtue of its membership of the international community.<sup id="cite_ref-19" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-19"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>19<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> It is not easy for a single state to maintain its dissent. Also, rules of the <i><a href="/wiki/Jus_cogens" class="mw-redirect" title="Jus cogens">jus cogens</a></i> have a universal character and apply to all states, irrespective of their wishes.<sup id="cite_ref-20" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-20"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>20<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Demand for rules that are responsive to increasingly rapid changes has led to the suggestion that there can be, in appropriate circumstances, such a concept as "<a href="/wiki/Instant_custom" class="mw-redirect" title="Instant custom">instant custom</a>". Even within traditional doctrine, the ICJ has recognized that passage of a short period of time is not necessarily a bar to the formation of a new rule.<sup id="cite_ref-21" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-21"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>21<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Because of this, the question is sometimes raised as to whether the word "custom" is suitable to a process that could occur with great rapidity. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Practice_by_international_organizations">Practice by international organizations</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Sources_of_international_law&action=edit&section=9" title="Edit section: Practice by international organizations"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>It may be argued that the practice of international organizations, most notably that of the <a href="/wiki/United_Nations" title="United Nations">United Nations</a>, as it appears in the resolutions of the <a href="/wiki/United_Nations_Security_Council" title="United Nations Security Council">Security Council</a> and the <a href="/wiki/United_Nations_General_Assembly" title="United Nations General Assembly">General Assembly</a>, are an additional source of international law, even though it is not mentioned as such in Article 38(1) of the 1946 Statute of the <a href="/wiki/International_Court_of_Justice" title="International Court of Justice">International Court of Justice</a>. Article 38(1) is closely based on the corresponding provision of the 1920 Statute of the <a href="/wiki/Permanent_Court_of_International_Justice" title="Permanent Court of International Justice">Permanent Court of International Justice</a>, thus predating the role that international organizations have come to play in the international plane. That is, the provision of Article 38(1) may be regarded as 'dated<i>, and this can most vividly be seen in the mention made of 'civilized nations', a mentioning that appears all the more quaint after the decolonization process that took place in the early 1960s and the participation of nearly all nations of the world in the <a href="/wiki/United_Nations" title="United Nations">United Nations</a>.</i> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Opinio_juris"><i>Opinio juris</i></h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Sources_of_international_law&action=edit&section=10" title="Edit section: Opinio juris"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/wiki/Opinio_juris_sive_necessitatis" title="Opinio juris sive necessitatis">Opinio juris sive necessitatis</a></div> <p>A wealth of state practice does not usually carry with it a presumption that <i><a href="/wiki/Opinio_juris_sive_necessitatis" title="Opinio juris sive necessitatis">opinio juris</a></i> exists. "Not only must the acts concerned amount to a settled practice, but they must also be such, or be carried out in such a way, as to be evidence of a belief that this practice is rendered obligatory by the existence of a rule of law requiring it."<sup id="cite_ref-22" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-22"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>22<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>In cases where practice (of which evidence is given) comprises abstentions from acting, consistency of conduct might not establish the existence of a rule of customary international law. The fact that no <a href="/wiki/Nuclear_weapons" class="mw-redirect" title="Nuclear weapons">nuclear weapons</a> have been used since 1945, for example, does not render their use illegal on the basis of a customary obligation because the necessary <i>opinio juris</i> was lacking.<sup id="cite_ref-23" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-23"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>23<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Although the ICJ has frequently referred to <i>opinio juris</i> as being an equal footing with state practice,<sup id="cite_ref-24" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-24"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>24<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> the role of the psychological element in the creation of customary law is uncertain. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Jus_cogens"><i>Jus cogens</i></h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Sources_of_international_law&action=edit&section=11" title="Edit section: Jus cogens"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/wiki/Peremptory_norm" title="Peremptory norm">Peremptory norm</a></div> <p>A <a href="/wiki/Peremptory_norm" title="Peremptory norm">peremptory norm</a> or <i>jus cogens</i> (<a href="/wiki/Latin" title="Latin">Latin</a> for "compelling law" or "strong law") is a principle of international law considered so fundamental that it overrides all other sources of international law, including even the Charter of the <a href="/wiki/United_Nations" title="United Nations">United Nations</a>. The principle of <i>jus cogens</i> is enshrined in Article 53 of the <a href="/wiki/Vienna_Convention_on_the_Law_of_Treaties" title="Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties">Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties</a>: </p> <dl><dd>For the purposes of the present Convention, a peremptory norm of general international law is a norm accepted and recognised 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 general international law having the same character.<sup id="cite_ref-25" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-25"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>25<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></dd></dl> <p>Rules of <i>jus cogens</i> generally require or forbid the state to do particular acts or respect certain rights. However, some define criminal offenses which the state must enforce against individuals. Generally included on lists of such norms are prohibitions of such crimes and internationally wrongful acts as waging aggressive <a href="/wiki/War" title="War">war</a>, <a href="/wiki/War_crimes" class="mw-redirect" title="War crimes">war crimes</a>, <a href="/wiki/Crimes_against_humanity" title="Crimes against humanity">crimes against humanity</a>, <a href="/wiki/Pirate" class="mw-redirect" title="Pirate">piracy</a>, <a href="/wiki/Genocide" title="Genocide">genocide</a>, <a href="/wiki/Apartheid" title="Apartheid">apartheid</a>, <a href="/wiki/Slavery" title="Slavery">slavery</a> and <a href="/wiki/Torture" title="Torture">torture</a>. </p><p>The evidence supporting the emergence of a rule of <i>jus cogens</i> will be essentially similar to that required to establish the creation of a new rule of customary international law. Indeed, <i>jus cogens</i> could be thought of as a special principle of custom with a superadded <i>opinions juries</i>. The <a href="/wiki/European_Court_of_Human_Rights" title="European Court of Human Rights">European Court of Human Rights</a> has stressed the international public policy aspect of the <i>jus cogens</i>. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="General_principles_of_law">General principles of law</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Sources_of_international_law&action=edit&section=12" title="Edit section: General principles of law"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The scope of general principles of law, to which Article 38(1) of the Statute of the ICJ refers, is unclear and controversial but may include such legal principles that are common to a large number of systems of <a href="/wiki/Municipal_law" title="Municipal law">municipal law</a>. Given the limits of treaties or custom as sources of international law, Article 38(1) may be looked upon as a directive to the Court to fill any gap in the law and prevent a <span title="Latin-language text"><i lang="la">non liquet</i></span> by reference to the general principles. </p><p>In earlier stages of the development of international law, rules were frequently drawn from municipal law. In the 19th century, legal positivists rejected the idea that international law could come from any source that did not involve state will or consent but were prepared to allow for the application of general principles of law, provided that they had in some way been accepted by states as part of the legal order. Thus Article 38(1)(c), for example, speaks of general principles "recognized" by states. An area that demonstrates the adoption of municipal approaches is the law applied to the relationship between international officials and their employing organizations,<sup id="cite_ref-26" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-26"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>26<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> although today the principles are regarded as established international law. </p><p>The significance of general principles has undoubtedly been lessened by the increased intensity of treaty and institutional relations between states. Nevertheless, the concepts of <a href="/wiki/Estoppel" title="Estoppel">estoppel</a> and <a href="/wiki/Equity_(law)" title="Equity (law)">equity</a> have been employed in the adjudication of international disputes.<sup id="cite_ref-27" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-27"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>27<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> For example, a state that has, by its conduct, encouraged another state to believe in the existence of a certain legal or factual situation, and to rely on that belief, may be estopped from asserting a contrary situation in its dealings.<sup id="cite_ref-28" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-28"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>28<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The principle of good faith was said by the ICJ to be "[o]ne of the basic principles governing the creation and performance of legal obligations".<sup id="cite_ref-29" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-29"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>29<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Similarly, there have been frequent references to equity.<sup id="cite_ref-30" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-30"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>30<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> It is generally agreed that equity cannot be employed to subvert legal rules (that is, operate <i><a href="/wiki/Contra_legem" class="mw-redirect" title="Contra legem">contra legem</a></i>).<sup id="cite_ref-31" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-31"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>31<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> This "equity as law" perception is reinforced by references to equitable principles in the text of the <a href="/wiki/United_Nations_Convention_on_the_Law_of_the_Sea" title="United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea">United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea</a> 1982, though this may be little more than an admission as to the existence, and legitimation, of the discretion of the adjudicator. </p><p>However, the principles of estoppel and equity in the international context do not retain all the connotations they do under <a href="/wiki/Common_law" title="Common law">common law</a>. The reference to the principles as "general" signify that, if rules were to be adapted from municipal law, they should be at a sufficient level of generality to encompass similar rules existing in many municipal systems. Principles of municipal law should be regarded as sources of inspiration rather than as sources of rules of direct application.<sup id="cite_ref-32" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-32"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>32<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Judicial_decisions_and_juristic_writings">Judicial decisions and juristic writings</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Sources_of_international_law&action=edit&section=13" title="Edit section: Judicial decisions and juristic writings"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>According to Article 38(1)(d) of its Statute, the ICJ is also to apply "judicial decisions and the teachings of the most highly qualified publicists of the various nations, as subsidiary means for the determination of rules of law". It is difficult to tell what influence these materials have on the development of the law. Pleadings in cases before the ICJ are often replete with references to <a href="/wiki/Case_law" title="Case law">case law</a> and to legal literature. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Judicial_decisions">Judicial decisions</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Sources_of_international_law&action=edit&section=14" title="Edit section: Judicial decisions"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The decisions of international and municipal courts and the publications of academics can be referred to, not as a source of law as such, but as a means of recognizing the law established in other sources. In practice, the <a href="/wiki/International_Court_of_Justice" title="International Court of Justice">International Court of Justice</a> does not refer to domestic decisions although it does invoke its previous case-law. </p><p>There is no rule of <a href="/wiki/Stare_decisis" class="mw-redirect" title="Stare decisis">stare decisis</a> in international law. The decision of the Court has no binding force except between the parties and in respect of that particular case.<sup id="cite_ref-33" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-33"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>33<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Nevertheless, often the Court would refer to its past decisions and advisory opinions to support its explanation of a present case.<sup id="cite_ref-34" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-34"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>34<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-35" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-35"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>35<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Often the International Court of Justice will consider General Assembly resolutions as indicative of customary international law. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Juristic_writings">Juristic writings</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Sources_of_international_law&action=edit&section=15" title="Edit section: Juristic writings"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Article 38(1)(d) of the <i><a href="/wiki/Statute_of_the_International_Court_of_Justice" title="Statute of the International Court of Justice">International Court of Justice Statute</a></i> states that the 'teachings of the most highly qualified publicists of the various nations' are also among the 'subsidiary means for the determination of the rules of law'. The scholarly works of prominent jurists are not sources of international law but are essential in developing the rules that are sourced in treaties, custom and the general principles of law. This is accepted practice in the interpretation of international law and was utilized by the <a href="/wiki/United_States_Supreme_Court" class="mw-redirect" title="United States Supreme Court">United States Supreme Court</a> in <i>The Paquete Habana</i> case (175 US (1900) 677 at 700–1). In the practice of the International Court of Justice, citations to teachings in decisions are exceptional, but Judges routinely refer to them in their individual opinions.<sup id="cite_ref-36" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-36"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>36<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="See_also">See also</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Sources_of_international_law&action=edit&section=16" title="Edit section: See also"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/International_law" title="International law">International law</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Preamble_to_the_United_Nations_Charter" title="Preamble to the United Nations Charter">Preamble to the United Nations Charter</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sources_of_law" title="Sources of law">Sources of law</a></li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Sources_of_international_law&action=edit&section=17" title="Edit section: References"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239543626">.mw-parser-output .reflist{margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%}}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}</style><div class="reflist reflist-columns references-column-width reflist-columns-2"> <ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-1">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.learningthelaw.in/2016/08/what-are-sources-of-international-law.html">What are the Sources of international law?</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180814164332/http://www.learningthelaw.in/2016/08/what-are-sources-of-international-law.html">Archived</a> 2018-08-14 at the <a href="/wiki/Wayback_Machine" title="Wayback Machine">Wayback Machine</a>, Available at Learning the Law. Also see <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.learningthelaw.in/2016/08/define-term-international-law.html">Definition of international law</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180817230526/http://www.learningthelaw.in/2016/08/define-term-international-law.html">Archived</a> 2018-08-17 at the <a href="/wiki/Wayback_Machine" title="Wayback Machine">Wayback Machine</a></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-2">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free.id-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited.id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration.id-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription.id-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-size:contain;padding:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#085;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}</style><cite id="CITEREFMejía-Lemos2022" class="citation cs2">Mejía-Lemos, Diego (2022), Kammerhofer, Jörg; Arajärvi, Noora; Merkouris, Panos (eds.), "Custom and the Regulation of 'the Sources of International Law'<span class="cs1-kern-right"></span>", <i>The Theory, Practice, and Interpretation of Customary International Law</i>, Cambridge University Press, pp. 137–160, <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Doi (identifier)">doi</a>:<span class="id-lock-free" title="Freely accessible"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.1017%2F9781009025416.008">10.1017/9781009025416.008</a></span>, <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-316-51689-8" title="Special:BookSources/978-1-316-51689-8"><bdi>978-1-316-51689-8</bdi></a></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=The+Theory%2C+Practice%2C+and+Interpretation+of+Customary+International+Law&rft.atitle=Custom+and+the+Regulation+of+%27the+Sources+of+International+Law%27&rft.pages=137-160&rft.date=2022&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.1017%2F9781009025416.008&rft.isbn=978-1-316-51689-8&rft.aulast=Mej%C3%ADa-Lemos&rft.aufirst=Diego&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASources+of+international+law" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-auto-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-auto_3-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-auto_3-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.icj-cij.org/documents/index.php?p1=4&p2=2&p3=0">Statute of the International Court of Justice</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20110629193835/http://www.icj-cij.org/documents/index.php?p1=4&p2=2&p3=0">Archived</a> 2011-06-29 at the <a href="/wiki/Wayback_Machine" title="Wayback Machine">Wayback Machine</a>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-4">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Martin Dixon, <i>Textbook on International Law</i> (Oxford University Press, 7th ed 2013) 24</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-5">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Legal Consequences for States of the Continued Presence of South Africa in Namibia (South-West Africa) notwithstanding Security Council Resolution 276</i> (1970) (Advisory Opinion) [1971] ICJ Reports 16 at 47.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-6">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>North Sea Continental Shelf</i> cases, note 6 at 38.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-7">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>North Sea Continental Shelf</i> cases, note 6 at 41. See also <i>Trial of the Major War Criminals before the International Military Tribunal</i>, Vol. 1, Judgment, 171 at 253–4.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Wood_Law_2014_h359-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Wood_Law_2014_h359_8-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFWood2014" class="citation web cs1">Wood, Michael C. (2014-05-22). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/774305">"Second report on identification of customary international law by Michael Wood, Special Rapporteur"</a>. UN. p. 7<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2023-12-13</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Second+report+on+identification+of+customary+international+law+by+Michael+Wood%2C+Special+Rapporteur&rft.pages=7&rft.pub=UN&rft.date=2014-05-22&rft.aulast=Wood&rft.aufirst=Michael+C.&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fdigitallibrary.un.org%2Frecord%2F774305&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASources+of+international+law" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-9">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">D'Amato, A., <i>The Concept of Custom in International Law</i> (Cornell University Press: Ithaca, New York, 1971) at 88.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-10">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Thirlway, H., <i>International Customary Law and its Codification</i> (A. W. Sijthoff: Leiden, 1972) at 58.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-11">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">See <i>Case Concerning Military and Paramilitary Activities in and against Nicaragua (Nicaragua v United States of America) (Merits)</i> [1986] ICJ Reports 14.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-12">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Fisheries Jurisdiction Case (United Kingdom v Iceland) (Merits)</i> [1974] ICJ Reports 3 at 50.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-13"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-13">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>North Sea Continental Shelf Cases (Federal Republic of Germany v Denmark; Federal Republic of Germany v Netherlands</i>) [1969] ICJ Reports 4 at 42.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-14"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-14">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Nicaragua</i> case (Merits), note 4 at 98.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-15"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-15">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Asylum Case (Colombia v Peru)</i> [1950] ICJ Rep 266 at 277; <i>Advisory Opinion on the Legality of the Threat or Use by a State of Nuclear Weapons in Armed Conflict</i> [1996] ICJ Reports 226.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-16"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-16">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Case Concerning Right of Passage over Indian Territory (Portugal v India) (Merits)</i> [1960] ICJ Reports 6 at 39; <i>Asylum</i> case, note 8 at 276.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-17"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-17">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>North Sea Continental Shelf</i> cases, note 6 at 229, 232 per Judge Lachs.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-18"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-18">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Asylum</i> case, note 8 at 277–8.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-19"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-19">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Fisheries Case (United Kingdom v Norway) (Judgment)</i> [1951] ICJ Reports 116, at 131.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-20"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-20">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">See <i>North Sea Continental Shelf</i> cases, note 6 at 229 per Judge Lachs.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-21"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-21">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>North Sea Continental Shelf</i> cases, note 6 at 43.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-22"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-22">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">See <i>North Sea Continental Shelf</i> cases, note 6 at 44.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-23"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-23">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Legality of Nuclear Weapons Advisory Opinion (GA)</i>, note 8.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-24"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-24">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Case Concerning the Continental Shelf (Libyan Arab Jamahiriya v Malta) (Judgment)</i> [1985] ICJ Reports 13 at 29; <i>Legality of Nuclear Weapons Advisory Opinion (GA)</i>, note 8 at 16.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-25"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-25">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">1155 <a href="/wiki/United_Nations_Treaty_Series" class="mw-redirect" title="United Nations Treaty Series">UNTS</a> 331.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-26"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-26">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Amerasinghe, C., <i>The Law of the International Civil Service</i>, 2nd rev. ed, vol. 1 (Clarendon Press: Oxford, 1994) at 151–8.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-27"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-27">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFTiti2021" class="citation book cs1"><a href="/wiki/Catharine_Titi" title="Catharine Titi">Titi, Catharine</a> (2021). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-function-of-equity-in-international-law-9780198868002?cc=fr&lang=en&"><i>The Function of Equity in International Law</i></a>. Oxford University Press. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780198868002" title="Special:BookSources/9780198868002"><bdi>9780198868002</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=The+Function+of+Equity+in+International+Law&rft.pub=Oxford+University+Press&rft.date=2021&rft.isbn=9780198868002&rft.aulast=Titi&rft.aufirst=Catharine&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fglobal.oup.com%2Facademic%2Fproduct%2Fthe-function-of-equity-in-international-law-9780198868002%3Fcc%3Dfr%26lang%3Den%26&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASources+of+international+law" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-28"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-28">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">See <i>North Sea Continental Shelf</i> cases, note 6 at 26; <i>Flegenheimer Claim</i> 25 ILR 91; <i>Case Concerning the Temple of Preah Vihear (Cambodia v Thailand) (Merits)</i> [1962] ICJ Reports 6 at 32–3.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-29"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-29">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Nuclear Tests Cases (Australia v France; New Zealand v France)</i> [1974] ICJ Reports 253 at 268.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-30"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-30">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>River Meuse Case (Netherlands v Belgium)</i> PCIJ Reports Series A/B No 70 76 at 76 per Judge Hudson.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-31"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-31">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Case Concerning the Frontier Dispute (Burkina Faso v Republic of Mali) (Judgment)</i> [1986] ICJ Reports 554 at 567–8; <i>North Sea Continental Shelf</i> cases, note 6 at 46–50.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-32"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-32">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>International Status of South-West Africa (Advisory Opinion)</i> [1950] ICJ Reports 128 at 148.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-33"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-33">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Article 59 of the ICJ Statute</i> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.icj-cij.org/documents/index.php?p1=4&p2=2&p3=0">Statute of the International Court of Justice</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20110629193835/http://www.icj-cij.org/documents/index.php?p1=4&p2=2&p3=0">Archived</a> 2011-06-29 at the <a href="/wiki/Wayback_Machine" title="Wayback Machine">Wayback Machine</a>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-34"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-34">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFRidi2019" class="citation journal cs1">Ridi, Niccolò (1 June 2019). "The Shape and Structure of the 'Usable Past': An Empirical Analysis of the Use of Precedent in International Adjudication". <i>Journal of International Dispute Settlement</i>. <b>10</b> (2): 200–247. <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Doi (identifier)">doi</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.1093%2Fjnlids%2Fidz007">10.1093/jnlids/idz007</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Journal+of+International+Dispute+Settlement&rft.atitle=The+Shape+and+Structure+of+the+%27Usable+Past%27%3A+An+Empirical+Analysis+of+the+Use+of+Precedent+in+International+Adjudication&rft.volume=10&rft.issue=2&rft.pages=200-247&rft.date=2019-06-01&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.1093%2Fjnlids%2Fidz007&rft.aulast=Ridi&rft.aufirst=Niccol%C3%B2&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASources+of+international+law" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-35"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-35">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFRidi2019" class="citation journal cs1">Ridi, Niccolò (1 September 2019). "<span class="cs1-kern-left"></span>'Mirages of an Intellectual Dreamland'? Ratio, Obiter and the Textualization of International Precedent". <i>Journal of International Dispute Settlement</i>. <b>10</b> (3): 361–395. <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Doi (identifier)">doi</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.1093%2Fjnlids%2Fidz005">10.1093/jnlids/idz005</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Journal+of+International+Dispute+Settlement&rft.atitle=%27Mirages+of+an+Intellectual+Dreamland%27%3F+Ratio%2C+Obiter+and+the+Textualization+of+International+Precedent&rft.volume=10&rft.issue=3&rft.pages=361-395&rft.date=2019-09-01&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.1093%2Fjnlids%2Fidz005&rft.aulast=Ridi&rft.aufirst=Niccol%C3%B2&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASources+of+international+law" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-36"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-36">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFHelmersen2021" class="citation book cs1">Helmersen, Sondre Torp (2021). <i>The application of teachings by the International Court of Justice</i>. Cambridge, United Kingdom. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/9781108933520" title="Special:BookSources/9781108933520"><bdi>9781108933520</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=The+application+of+teachings+by+the+International+Court+of+Justice&rft.place=Cambridge%2C+United+Kingdom&rft.date=2021&rft.isbn=9781108933520&rft.aulast=Helmersen&rft.aufirst=Sondre+Torp&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASources+of+international+law" class="Z3988"></span><span class="cs1-maint citation-comment"><code class="cs1-code">{{<a href="/wiki/Template:Cite_book" title="Template:Cite book">cite book</a>}}</code>: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (<a href="/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_location_missing_publisher" title="Category:CS1 maint: location missing publisher">link</a>)</span></span> </li> </ol></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Further_reading">Further reading</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Sources_of_international_law&action=edit&section=18" title="Edit section: Further reading"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li>Thirlway, H., <i>International Customary Law and its Codification</i> (A. W. Sijthoff: Leiden, 1972).</li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="External_links">External links</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Sources_of_international_law&action=edit&section=19" title="Edit section: External links"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.burneylawfirm.com/international_law_primer.htm">A Brief Primer on International Law</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20161110081904/http://www.burneylawfirm.com/international_law_primer.htm">Archived</a> 2016-11-10 at the <a href="/wiki/Wayback_Machine" title="Wayback Machine">Wayback Machine</a> With cases and commentary. Nathaniel Burney, 2007.</li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.un.org">Official United Nations website</a></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.un.org/law">Official UN website on International Law</a></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.icj-cij.org/">Official website of the International Court of Justice</a></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://baripedia.org/wiki/Sources_of_International_Law">Sources of International Law</a>, Geneva Universities course on 'International Public Law' by Robert Kolb.</li></ul> <div class="navbox-styles"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1129693374">.mw-parser-output .hlist dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul{margin:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt,.mw-parser-output .hlist li{margin:0;display:inline}.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline 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navbar-mini"><ul><li class="nv-view"><a href="/wiki/Template:International_criminal_law" title="Template:International criminal law"><abbr title="View this template">v</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-talk"><a href="/wiki/Template_talk:International_criminal_law" title="Template talk:International criminal law"><abbr title="Discuss this template">t</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-edit"><a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:International_criminal_law" title="Special:EditPage/Template:International criminal law"><abbr title="Edit this template">e</abbr></a></li></ul></div><div id="International_criminal_law" style="font-size:114%;margin:0 4em"><a href="/wiki/International_criminal_law" title="International criminal law">International criminal law</a></div></th></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a class="mw-selflink selflink">Sources</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Customary_international_law" title="Customary international law">Customary international law</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Peremptory_norm" title="Peremptory norm">Peremptory norm</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Hague_Conventions_of_1899_and_1907" title="Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907">Hague Conventions</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Geneva_Conventions" title="Geneva Conventions">Geneva Conventions</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nuremberg_Charter" class="mw-redirect" title="Nuremberg Charter">Nuremberg Charter</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nuremberg_principles" title="Nuremberg principles">Nuremberg principles</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Charter_of_the_United_Nations" title="Charter of the United Nations">United Nations Charter</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Genocide_Convention" title="Genocide Convention">Genocide Convention</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/United_Nations_Convention_Against_Torture" title="United Nations Convention Against Torture">Convention Against Torture</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rome_Statute" title="Rome Statute">Rome Statute</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><div style="display: inline-block; line-height: 1.2em; padding: .1em 0;"><a href="/wiki/International_criminal_law" title="International criminal law">Crimes against<br />international law</a></div></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Crimes_against_humanity" title="Crimes against humanity">Crimes against humanity</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Crime_of_aggression" title="Crime of aggression">Crime of aggression</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Crime_of_apartheid" title="Crime of apartheid">Crime of apartheid</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Genocide" title="Genocide">Genocide</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Genocidal_intent" title="Genocidal intent">Genocidal intent</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Incitement_to_genocide" title="Incitement to genocide">Incitement to genocide</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Piracy" title="Piracy">Piracy</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_slavery" title="History of slavery">Slave trading</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Starvation_(crime)" title="Starvation (crime)">Starvation</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/War_crime" title="War crime">War crime</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><div style="display: inline-block; line-height: 1.2em; padding: .1em 0;"><a href="/wiki/International_court" title="International court">International courts</a><br /><span class="nobold">(in order of foundation)</span></div></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Nuremberg_trials" title="Nuremberg trials">International Military Tribunal (Nuremberg Trials)</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/International_Military_Tribunal_for_the_Far_East" title="International Military Tribunal for the Far East">International Military Tribunal for the Far East</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/International_Criminal_Tribunal_for_the_former_Yugoslavia" title="International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia">International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/International_Criminal_Tribunal_for_Rwanda" title="International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda">International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Special_Court_for_Sierra_Leone" title="Special Court for Sierra Leone">Special Court for Sierra Leone</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/International_Criminal_Court" title="International Criminal Court">International Criminal Court</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Khmer_Rouge_Tribunal" title="Khmer Rouge Tribunal">Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Special_Panels_for_Serious_Crimes_(East_Timor)" title="Special Panels for Serious Crimes (East Timor)">Special Panels of the Dili District Court</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Special_Tribunal_for_Lebanon" title="Special Tribunal for Lebanon">Special Tribunal for Lebanon</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/International_Residual_Mechanism_for_Criminal_Tribunals" title="International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals">International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Related concepts</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Command_responsibility" title="Command responsibility">Command responsibility</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Superior_orders" title="Superior orders">Superior orders</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Joint_criminal_enterprise" title="Joint criminal enterprise">Joint criminal enterprise</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/International_humanitarian_law" title="International humanitarian law">International humanitarian law</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/International_speech_crimes" title="International speech crimes">International speech crimes</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Universal_jurisdiction" title="Universal jurisdiction">Universal jurisdiction</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table></div>    </div><noscript><img src="https://login.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:CentralAutoLogin/start?type=1x1" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border: none; position: absolute;"></noscript> <div class="printfooter" data-nosnippet="">Retrieved from "<a dir="ltr" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sources_of_international_law&oldid=1249903071">https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sources_of_international_law&oldid=1249903071</a>"</div></div> <div id="catlinks" class="catlinks" data-mw="interface"><div id="mw-normal-catlinks" class="mw-normal-catlinks"><a href="/wiki/Help:Category" title="Help:Category">Categories</a>: <ul><li><a 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