FCIL Newsletter, October 1994

FCIL Newsletter / October 1994


What's New on INT-LAW

by Janice Selberg
Wayne State University Law Library

International Law Careers

Law Students often ask about careers in international law. A recent message from Lyonette Louis Jacques of the University of Chicago summed up recent publications.

Lyonette Louis-Jacques, University of Chicago, June 29, 1994: There is a new book out that looks like it might be useful for students considering careers in international law: Stacy M. DeBroff and Dana J. Bullwinkel, Harvard Law School's Handbook on Public International Work: A 1994 Guide to Domestic and Overseas Public International Opportunities (Public Interest Advising Office, Harvard Law School, Pound Hall 328, Cambridge, MA 02138, 617-495-3108). It's about 80 pages long and has a little advice and some addresses and descriptions of key organizations to contact.

Some other new sources (which I might have mentioned on INT-LAW before):

Let me know if there are any other new (1993 to present) useful sources for persons interested in international law careers (including foreign law librarianship). I'm also interested in any journal articles such as the one we were alerted to before, the symposium in the Oregon Law Review on "Winds of Change--A Global Look at Legal Education" (v. 72, pp. 941-1018 (1993)).

Status of BOSNET

Earlier this summer, I inquired about the status of Bosnet on behalf of a group of attorneys representing Bosnian refugees pro bono. The address I was given seemed to be in error. After inquiring on INT-LAW, I found that address had changed. Below is the most recent information.

Nermin Zukic, BosNet moderator, July 5, 1994 (posted on INT-LAW by Lyonette Louis-Jacques, University of Chicago, August 23, 1994): For several weeks I have been having delays/problems with BosNet distribution, mostly due to the hardware/software limitations at the host site.

Yesterday, I was informed by my sys-admin that BosNet can not be distributed from cu23.crl.aecl.ca any longer. This is one of our last "broadcasts" in this form.

We are in the process of finding/evaluating temporary and permanent alternatives. Effort will be made to minimize problems during this transition period. At this point, no action is required on your part.

In the meantime, BosNet will be posted on soc.culture.bosna-herzgvna, soc.culture.europe, and alt.politics.clinton.

I regret any inconveniences this may have caused.

Formation of LEX.NET

Joelle Savean, Oct. 2, 1994: lex.net announced today the formation of the lex.net legal network.

What is lex.net?

lex.net is the legal network of the Internet. lex.net provides network access to international legal experts around the world. In particular, lex.net assists legal scholars and advisors in various fields of international law to communicate and to share information about issues of mutual concern.

What is the purpose of lex.net?

The purpose of lex.net is to facilitate communication among those who need legal information and those who have it. It functions as a virtual library: it serves as a library of computer and individual resources about international law. In part, lex.net provides access to computers which have compilations of data. Of even more significance, however, lex.net provides access to individuals who have expertise and experience in areas of international law.

How will lex.net benefit international and legal scholars and advisers?

lex.net has undertaken the responsibility to establish and maintain the List of International Legal Advisors (LILA). (Further information about LILA may be obtained from the message "LILA Background.") Upon its completion, lex.net will provide access to LILA through the World-Wide Web and anonymous FTP.

lex.net will also assist in the establishment and maintenance of private newsletters, mailing lists, and discussion groups to assist international legal scholars and advisors worldwide.

For additional information?

For additional information, please contact the lex.net librarian, Joelle Savean, at librarian@lex.net.

Permanent War Crimes Tribunal

Sushila Selness, Oct. 3, 1994: One of our students is doing research on International Law issues related to the creation of a permanent (standing) tribunal on dealing with war crimes (similar to those of former Yugoslavia). He is particularly interested in any discussions regarding how to reconcile differences in laws of common vs civil law countries. Can any one on the list recommend documents, secondary sources or anything in print that he can use?

Prof. William T. Pizzi, University of Colorado School of Law, Oct. 4, 1994: I recently came across a symposium on the issues surrounding a possible international war crimes tribunal in the 1994 issue of the Pace Journal of International Law. There were all kinds of articles on the topic, and I think that if you could get that issue it would be a nice start for your student. As far as the procedures that will be used will they tend to be closer to those used in civil law countries or those used in adversarial system countries? I have been told by international law experts that they will be closer to those in civil law countries. But international law is not a subject I know much about. I hope this is helpful.

Wiltrud Harms, University of California, Oct. 4, 1994: If your student is interested in an international criminal court which would deal with war crimes and other crimes "against the peace and security of mankind": the International Law Commission adopted a draft statute for such a court at its 1994 session. As mentioned before on INT-LAW, the ILC's report can be expected in October/November but there is a U.N. press release that summarizes its work on the topic very briefly (see U.N. press release L/2684 of 25 July 1994, contained in the L/series of the press releases offered by the UNDP gopher (gopher gopher.undp.org 70)).

When I helped a Boalt student with a similar research question some time ago, we found U.N. document A/CONF.157/PC/62/Add.17 of 3 June 1993, a position paper on "The Establishment of a Permanent International Penal Court" submitted by the International Commission of Jurists to the World Conference on Human Rights. Our student also looked at a 1987 book by Cherif Bassiouni, A draft international criminal code and draft statute for an international criminal tribunal (492 pages with a comprehensive bibliography). The U.N. General Assembly will consider the topic at its present session. It adopted a resolution (A/RES/48/31) on Dec. 9, 1993, which mentions the work of the ILC on the draft statute and the relevant discussions of the G.A.'s Sixth Committee in operative para. 6 plus its introductory paragraphs. Let me know if you need more info re these documents.

Elliot C. Chabot, Legal Support Project Leader, U.S. House of Representatives, Oct. 5, 1994: You might try "War Crimes in Yugoslavia and the Development of International Law" by Theodor Meron, which is available on the Internet (by gopher) at:
gopher.internet.com (port 2100)
0/collected/ajil/Archive/010194.1

Administrative Note

Milagros Rush, INT-LAW moderator, University of Minnesota, Oct. 6, 1994: I want to remind you that the following are some of the types of messages that must not be posted on INT-LAW:

  1. commercial messages, advertisements of your products, and the like.
  2. junk mail.
  3. personal mail.
  4. "how are you," "send me your e-mail address," and similar casual messages.
  5. job solicitations.

INT-LAW is supported by the University of Minnesota and was created with the idea that it is to support educational purposes. Those listed are not in conformance with these purposes. Thank you for your cooperation.

NAFTA on CD-ROM

June Mac Leod, Gray Cary Ware & Freidenrich, Oct. 6, 1994: Does anyone have knowledge of CD-ROM packages that contain NAFTA and tariff schedules? Please advise. Thank you.

James P. Duffy III, Mineola, N.Y., Oct. 7, 1994: There is a company in Califoria that I believe is called Young Minds that has NAFTA on CD-ROM. I have the disk in NY where I will be in a few days; so, I can not check it now to see if it has the schedules you want. If you cannot locate what you want by Tuesday, send me a message, and I will give you the details on how to get the disk this firm offers.

Daniel Charterhaus, Oct. 8, 1994: If you all need the NAFTA agreement in Spanish, we have it. We have it in CD-ROM, disk (IBM and Mac), floppy, and in its original paper bound form. Call if you need it at 214-324-4984. We will only charge S&H fees from Mexico City to destination as long as it is used for educational purposes.

Artukovic Trial

Katherine Topulos, Duke University, Oct. 7, 1994: I have been trying without success to find reports of the judgment in the trial of Andrija Artukovic who was convicted of mass murder and sentenced to death by the district court of Zagreb in May 1986 for his role in the killing of hundreds of thousands of people while he was minister of the interior in the Nazi puppet government of Croatia during WWII. Later that year both the Supreme Court of Croatia and the Yugoslav Federal Court rejected his appeals (he died in prison in 1988).

We don't receive Yugoslav reporters here; I was unable to find reports of the trial in other sources (such as International Law Reports). I realize that it's highly unlikely that there would be a report of the case at the trial level; however, it was an important and much reported trial. TIA

George Jacobsen, Louisiana State University, Oct. 7, 1994: The following publication, although in Serbo-Croatian, should be of interest:

Artukovic, Andrija, 1899- (defendant). Sudenje Andriji Artukovicu i sto nije receno / Jovo Popovic. Zagreb: Stvarnost : Jugoart, 1986. 199 p.

Note: Trial held at the Okruzni sud in Zagreb, Apr. 15 May 14, 1986.

Otherwise, the press coverage on Lexis is considerable.

Law Degree for Foreign Diplomat

Linda Karr O'Connor, Cornell University, Oct. 10, 1994: Does anyone know of a law school where a foreign diplomat with a degree in international relations (but no law degree) can pursue a one year course of study leading to an LL.M. or other law degree?

Christine A. Corcos, Case Western Reserve University, Oct. 11, 1994: CWRU Law School has a one-year LL.M. program for foreign lawyers and accepts foreign-trained students without a law degree. The director of the program is Professor Lewis R. Katz (e-mail lrk@po.cwru.edu; phone 216-368-3287; street address CWRU Law School, 11075 East Boulevard, Cleveland OH 44106).

Swedish Corporal Punishment Law

Scott Livingston, Detroit College of Law, Oct. 12, 1994: I have a patron who is looking for a recently (?) enacted Swedish law which prohibits parents from using corporal punishment on their children. Any leads on this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Wiltrud Harms, University of California, Oct. 12, 1994: According to U.N. Doc. CRC/C/3/Add.1, page 16, the Swedish Code of Parenthood and Guardianship, chapter 6, section 1 lays down as follows:

". . . A child shall be treated with respect for his person and individuality and may not be subjected to corporal punishment or any other offensive treatment. . . ."

This U.N. document contains the initial report submitted by Sweden under art. 44 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. It was submitted in September 1992.

Your question is a good example for demonstrating that certain U.N. document series are great sources for foreign law information re topics that fall under the umbrella of human rights. Those who have access to the RLIN database can find documents such as these by using the same subject headings used by the U.N. main bibliographical tool, UNDOC: Current Index. Almost always the title of these reports begin with "Consideration of reports submitted by States Parties . . ." and the pertaining country is used as a subject phrase.

In your case, the following RLIN search retrieves three records of which the second one is the citation of Sweden's report: fin tp consideration# and sp sweden and rights of the child

Mats Dämvik, InterForum (Kungsbacka, Sweden), Oct. 13, 1994: The Swedish regulation is FB 6:1: "Barn har rätt till omvårdnad, trygghet och en god fostran. Barn skall behandlas med aktning för sin person och egenart och får inte utsättas för kroppslig bestraffning eller annan kränkande behandling." [The Swedish characters display as other symbols on U.S. systems.]


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