State Immunity in International Law ( Cambridge Studies in International and Comparative Law )

Publication series ：Cambridge Studies in International and Comparative Law

Author： Xiaodong Yang;  

Publisher： Cambridge University Press‎

Publication year： 2012

E-ISBN: 9781316940150

P-ISBN(Paperback): 9780521844017

P-ISBN(Hardback):  9780521844017

Subject： D992 National

Keyword： 法律

Language： ENG

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Description

Xiaodong Yang examines the issue of jurisdictional immunities of States and their property in foreign domestic courts. Xiaodong Yang examines the cases in which a State can be sued in a foreign domestic court for commercial transactions and other trading activities, employment and labour disputes, personal injuries and damage to property, confiscation of private property and violations of human rights. Xiaodong Yang examines the cases in which a State can be sued in a foreign domestic court for commercial transactions and other trading activities, employment and labour disputes, personal injuries and damage to property, confiscation of private property and violations of human rights. The immunity or exemption enjoyed by States from legal proceedings before foreign national courts is a crucial area of international law. On the basis of an exhaustive analysis of judicial decisions, international treaties, national legislation, government statements, deliberations in international organisations as well as scholarly opinion, Xiaodong Yang traces the historical development of the relevant doctrine and practice, critically analyses the rationale for restrictive immunity and closely inspects such important exceptions to immunity as commercial transactions, contracts of employment, tortious liability, separate entities, the enforcement of judgments, waiver of immunity and the interplay between State immunity and human rights. The book draws a full picture of the law of State immunity as it currently stands and endeavours to provide useful information and guidance for practitioners, academics and students alike. Introduction; 1. The history of state immunity; 2. General principles; 3. Commercial activity; 4. Contracts of employment; 5. Non-commercial torts; 6. Separate entities; 7. Expropriation; 8. Waiver of immunity; 9. Measures of constraint; 10. State immunity and human rights violations; 11. The genesis of the UN convention; General conclusions. 'Domestic judgments are 'state practice of particular significance' for the identification of custom in this area of law, but distilling international law from this far from general and consistent practice is a challenge, to say the least. Xiaodong Yang bravely took on that challenge … His book State Immunity in International Law is a rich study and a welcome and valuable addition to existing scholarship.' Rosanne van Alebeek, Netherlands International Law Review

Chapter

Cover

State Immunity in International Law

Title

Copyright

Dedication

Contents

Foreword

Preface and acknowledgements

Abbreviations

Table of cases

Decisions of International Courts and Tribunals

International Court of Justice

European Court of Justice

European Court of Human Rights

International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia

Special Court for Sierra Leone

Arbitral Tribunals

Decisions of National Courts

Argentina

Australia

Austria

Belgium

Brazil

Canada

Chile

China

Czechoslovakia

Denmark

Egypt

Estonia

Finland

France

Gabon

Germany

Greece

India

Ireland

Israel

Italy

Japan

Jordan

Kenya

Lebanon

Lithuania

Malaysia

The Netherlands

New Zealand

Nigeria

Norway

Pakistan

The Philippines

Poland

Portugal

Singapore

South Africa

Spain

Sweden

Switzerland

Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands

United Kingdom

United States

Zimbabwe

Legal instruments and codification documents

Treaties

Other International Documents

National Legislation

United Nations Documents

UN General Assembly Resolutions

UN General Assembly decisions

Reports of the Secretary-General

Reports of the International Law Commission

Reports of the ILC Special Rapporteurs on Jurisdictional Immunities

Reports of the ILC Working Group

Other ILC Documents

Documents of the UN General Assembly Sixth Committee

Reports of the UN Sixth Committee Working Group

Reports of the General Assembly Ad Hoc Committee

Documents of Other International Organizations

Asian-African Legal Consultative Organization (AALCO)

Council of Europe

Organization of American States (OAS)

National Documents

Documents of International Learned Bodies

Harvard Research

Institut de Droit International (IDI)

International Law Association (ILA)

Introduction

1 The history of State immunity

1. The age of absolute immunity

2. Exceptions to absolute immunity

3. The emergence of the doctrine of restrictive immunity

4. The descent of the State

5. The irrelevance of ideologies

6. The defendant States

7. The sources of the law of State immunity

8. Cross-fertilization

9. Terminology

Conclusion

2 General principles

1. A general statement of principles

2. State immunity as a principle of customary international law

3. The presumption of immunity

4. Immunity and municipal law

5. The legal basis for immunity

5.1. 'Sovereignty' and the affiliated concepts

5.2. Par in parem non habet imperium?

5.3. What is the basis of immunity?

6. The legal basis for denying immunity

6.1. The 'private person' test

6.2. The principle of territorial jurisdiction

6.3. Private act plus territoriality - Binnenbeziehung

Conclusion

3 Commercial activity

1. What is a commercial activity?

2. What is a non-commercial activity?

3. Nature or purpose?

3.1. The 'nature' approach

3.2. The difficulties with the 'nature' approach

3.3. The 'purpose' approach

3.4. The 'context' approach

3.5. A summary

4. The jurisdictional nexus requirement under the US FSIA

4.1. The first clause of section 1605 (a) (2)

4.1.1. 'Based upon a commercial activity'

4.1.2. 'Substantial contact'

4.2. The second clause of section 1605 (a) (2)

4.3. The third clause of section 1605 (a) (2)

4.3.1. The 'act'

4.3.2. The 'direct effect'

4.3.3. 'An immediate consequence'

4.3.4. The 'place of performance' test

4.3.5. The 'legally significant act' test

Conclusion

4 Contracts of employment

1. Terminology

2. The peculiar features of employment cases

2.1. Specialized tribunals

2.2. The inadequacy of the nature/private person test

3. Two models

4. The UK Model

4.1. The European Convention

4.1.1. The plaintiff

4.1.2. The place of performance

4.1.3. The choice of law

4.2. The UK SIA

4.2.1. Contracts of employment as a separate category

4.2.2. The plaintiff

4.2.3. The choice of law

4.3. The Australia FSIA

4.4. Other instruments

4.5. The importance of having a contract

5. The US Model

5.1. The US FSIA

5.2. The plaintiff

5.2.1. Individuals: their nationality

5.2.2. Trade unions

6. Diverse approaches

6.1. The employment relationship

6.2. The duties and functions of the employee

6.3. The status of the employer

6.4. The acts of the employer

6.5. The status of the employee

6.6. The nature of the particular activity

6.7. The territorial connection

6.8. The choice of law clause

6.9. The remedies sought

7. The savings regime

7.1. Diplomatic and consular missions

7.1.1. Proceedings against the foreign State

7.1.2. 'Institutional aims'

7.1.3. Proceedings against the diplomat personally

7.2. Foreign armed forces

7.3. Other public institutions

8. Diversity and lack of uniform rules

Conclusion

5 Non-commercial torts

1. Terminology

2. The targeted torts

2.1. Physical injury and tangible property

2.2. 'Insurable risks'?

2.3. 'Discretionary function'

3. The jure imperii / jure gestionis distinction?

4. The territorial connection

4.1. Tortious act/omission only

4.2. Injury/damage only

4.3. Both tortious act/omission and injury/damage

4.4. A direct effect?

4.5. States without immunity legislation

5. Attribution

6. The terrorism exception in US law: a departure

Conclusion

6 Separate entities

1. Terminology

2. Diverse approaches

2.1. The UK Model

2.2. The US Model

2.2.1. The presumption of immunity

2.2.2. A question of status

2.2.3. 'A separate legal person'

2.2.4. 'An organ of a foreign State'

2.2.5. 'Pooling'

2.2.6. 'Tiering'

2.2.7. The question of timing

2.2.8. Other uses of the instrumentality status

2.2.9. The Canadian law

2.3. Comparison and summary

2.4. Somewhere in-between: the Australian law and others

2.5. The practice of the States without immunity statutes

3. Piercing the corporate veil?

Conclusion

7 Expropriation

1. The general principle: immunity

2. Legality and immunity

3. The ILCs aborted provision

4. The 'expropriation' provision in the US FSIA

4.1. 'Rights in property'

4.2. 'Taken in violation of international law'

4.3. The territorial nexus requirement

5. The Helms-Burton Act

Conclusion

8 Waiver of immunity

1. The US practice

1.1. Who can waive immunity?

1.2. Explicit or express waiver

1.3. How explicit must an explicit waiver be?

1.4. Implicit or implied waiver

1.4.1. Arbitration

1.4.2. The governing law of a contract

1.4.3. Participation or involvement in litigation

1.5. Implicit waiver as explicit waiver

1.6. The specificity of waiver

1.7. Counterclaims

2. The UK practice

3. The practice of other States

4. Does a violation of human rights constitute an implied waiver?

Conclusion

9 Measures of constraint

1. Terminology

2. Two distinct immunities: immunity from suit and immunity from execution

2.1. The judicial power of the court

2.2. The universal distinction between the two immunities

2.2.1. The treaties

2.2.2. The US FSIA

2.2.3. The UK SIA and other national statutes

2.2.4. The practice of other States

2.2.5. Two distinct immunities: a universal rule

3. The resurfacing of the 'purpose' test

3.1. The treaties

3.2. The US FSIA

3.3. The UK SIA and other national statutes

3.4. The practice of the States without immunity legislation

4. Prejudgment measures

4.1. Immunity as a preliminary issue

4.2. The conditions for prejudgment measures

4.2.1. Under the same conditions as execution

4.2.2. Under more liberal conditions

4.2.3. Under stricter conditions

5. The conditions for measures of constraint

5.1. Waiver

5.2. The 'purpose' test

5.3. Separate entity ownership

5.3.1. Legal instruments

5.3.2. The practice of the States without immunity legislation

5.4. The 'connection' requirement

5.4.1. Subject-matter connection

5.4.2. Territorial connection - Binnenbeziehung

5.4.3. The entity connection

5.5. The territorial presence requirement

5.6. Executive oversight or authorization

6. Categories of property under special protection

6.1. Diplomatic property

6.1.1. Diplomatic premises

6.1.2. Embassy bank accounts

6.2. Central bank property

6.2.1. The US FSIA

6.2.2. The UK SIA

6.2.3. The Australia FSIA

6.3. Military property

6.4. Other types of public property

7. Mixed accounts and accounts without definite destination

7.1. Mixed accounts

7.2. Accounts without definite destination

Conclusion

10 State immunity and human rights violations

1. Territorial jurisdiction

2. State immunity and criminal proceedings

3. State immunity and jus cogens

4. The assertion of extraterritorial jurisdiction

5. The State and its officials

6. The Pinochet case: a dissection

7. Immunity and legality

Conclusion

11 The genesis of the UN Convention

1. Early efforts at codification

2. The work of the International Law Commission

3. The debate in the General Assembly Sixth Committee

4. Universal support for the UN Convention

5. What the UN Convention enshrines

6. What the UN Convention avoids

Conclusion

General conclusion

Notes

Bibliography

Index

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