South Africa

Implementation of the Geneva Conventions Act, 2012

CHAPTER 2
BREACHES OF CONVENTIONS

Breach of Conventions and penalties

5. (1) Any person who, whether within or outside the Republic, commits a grave 35 breach of the Conventions, is guilty of an offence.

(2) For the purposes of subsection (1), "a grave breach" means—

(a) a grave breach referred to in Article 50 of the First Convention ;
(b) a grave breach referred to in Article 51 of the Second Convention ;
(c) a grave breach referred to in Article 130 of the Third Convention ;
(d) a grave breach referred to in Article 147 of the Fourth Convention ; or
(e) a grave breach referred to in Article 11 or 85 of Protocol I.

(3) Any person who within the Republic contravenes or fails to comply with a provision of the Conventions not covered by subsection (2), is guilty of an offence.

(4) Any citizen of the Republic who outside the Republic contravenes or fails to comply with a provision of the Conventions not covered by subsection (2), is guilty of an offence.

(5) A person convicted of an offence contemplated in subsection (1), (3) or (4) is liable to a fine or to imprisonment, including imprisonment for life, or to such imprisonment without the option of a fine or to both a fine and such imprisonment.

Keywords

War crimes
Jurisdiction
Grave breaches - IAC
Relationship between Rome Statute and existing or developing rules of international law
Territorial jurisdiction - national proceedings
Applicable law



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