Minimum Legal Standards in Reparation Processes for Colonial Crimes: The Case of Namibia and Germany

IF 1.5 Q1 LAW German Law Journal Pub Date : 2023-11-06 DOI:10.1017/glj.2023.81
Karina Theurer
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Abstract

Abstract In 2021, the German and Namibian governments published a Joint Declaration as a result of their negotiations on reparations. Ovaherero and Nama representatives strongly criticized the violation of their participation rights during the negotiations and the reproduction of colonial racism. In 2023, a lawsuit was filed with the Namibian High Court. This litigation could become a milestone in the history of legal struggles for reparations for colonial crimes worldwide. In addition to the litigation, several United Nations Special Rapporteurs were contacted and published their joint communication in April 2023, essentially confirming the lack of effective participation and the obligation to grant reparations. This Article gives an overview of the most important historical events during German colonial rule and the most significant efforts to legally come to terms with it since 2006. It analyzes the main legal issues in this context: Have the acts committed by German colonial troops violated the laws in force at the time? Is the current application of the doctrine of intertemporal law by the governments a reproduction of racism? Might it be a new act of racism? What challenges and limits do courts face when they attempt to retrospectively reconstruct legal systems and legal norms in force 100 years ago? Does the German state have a legal obligation to enter into negotiations over reparations? What participation rights do affected communities have in processes of legal reappraisal of colonialism? In view of the growing demands for reparations worldwide, it is timely to deal with the underlying legal issues in an exemplary manner. The legal intervention of the German-Namibian reappraisal could set a precedent. The Article aims at establishing minimum legal standards for reparations processes for colonial crimes worldwide.
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殖民罪行赔偿程序中的最低法律标准:纳米比亚和德国的案例
2021年,德国和纳米比亚政府就赔偿问题进行了谈判,并发表了《联合声明》。Ovaherero和Nama的代表强烈批评他们在谈判期间的参与权受到侵犯和殖民种族主义的再现。2023年,有人向纳米比亚高等法院提起诉讼。这一诉讼可能成为全世界为殖民罪行争取赔偿的法律斗争史上的一个里程碑。除了诉讼之外,还联系了几位联合国特别报告员,并于2023年4月发表了他们的联合来文,基本上确认了缺乏有效参与和给予赔偿的义务。本文概述了德国殖民统治期间最重要的历史事件,以及自2006年以来为合法解决这一问题所做的最重大努力。它分析了在此背景下的主要法律问题:德国殖民部队的行为是否违反了当时有效的法律?各国政府目前对跨期法原则的适用是种族主义的再现吗?这是一种新的种族主义行为吗?当法院试图追溯重建100年前的法律制度和法律规范时,会面临哪些挑战和限制?德国政府是否有法律义务就赔偿问题进行谈判?在对殖民主义进行法律重新评估的过程中,受影响的社区有哪些参与权?鉴于全世界对赔偿的要求日益增加,以模范的方式处理基本的法律问题是及时的。德国-纳米比亚重新评估的法律干预可能开创一个先例。该条旨在为全世界殖民罪行的赔偿程序确立最低法律标准。
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来源期刊
German Law Journal
German Law Journal Social Sciences-Law
CiteScore
2.70
自引率
7.70%
发文量
75
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