TY - JOUR
T1 - International peoples' tribunals in Asia
T2 - Political theatre, juridical farce, or meaningful intervention?
AU - Simm, Gabrielle
AU - Byrnes, Andrew
PY - 2014/1
Y1 - 2014/1
N2 - Since the 1960s, over eighty international peoples' tribunals have been established outside formal state and international structures. Many have drawn on the forms and procedures of state-sponsored international tribunals and investigated whether states, international organizations, and transnational corporations have violated established norms of international law, while also seeking to infuse it with more progressive values. This paper first provides an overview of the history of international peoples' tribunals in Asia, then examines three tribunals that have focused on situations in Asia. We argue that not only do peoples' tribunals respond to a perceived gap in official structures of accountability, but they also perform other functions. These include building solidarity and networks, and recording and memorializing otherwise unacknowledged experiences. Further, such tribunals not only engage in holding states and others accountable informally but also articulate claims about the right of civil society to "own", interpret, and develop international law.
AB - Since the 1960s, over eighty international peoples' tribunals have been established outside formal state and international structures. Many have drawn on the forms and procedures of state-sponsored international tribunals and investigated whether states, international organizations, and transnational corporations have violated established norms of international law, while also seeking to infuse it with more progressive values. This paper first provides an overview of the history of international peoples' tribunals in Asia, then examines three tribunals that have focused on situations in Asia. We argue that not only do peoples' tribunals respond to a perceived gap in official structures of accountability, but they also perform other functions. These include building solidarity and networks, and recording and memorializing otherwise unacknowledged experiences. Further, such tribunals not only engage in holding states and others accountable informally but also articulate claims about the right of civil society to "own", interpret, and develop international law.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84898471037&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1017/S2044251313000246
DO - 10.1017/S2044251313000246
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84898471037
VL - 4
SP - 103
EP - 124
JO - Asian Journal of International Law
JF - Asian Journal of International Law
SN - 2044-2513
IS - 1
ER -