Ayliffe and Others v. Director of Public Prosecutions

Abstract

War and armed conflict — Use of force — Aggression — Crime in international law — Military action in Iraq in 2003 — Whether aggression — Whether justiciable in English courts — War crimes — Protesters taking action against military base — Damage to property — Whether capable of being justified as steps taken to prevent a crime of aggression

International criminal law — Aggression — Whether crime under international law — Absence of agreed definition of aggression — Whether absence of agreed definition indicating aggression not yet an international crime — War crimes — International Criminal Court Statute 1998 — Crimes under municipal law — Whether defendants’ belief that action necessary to prevent international crimes a defence — Whether crimes under international law form part of municipal law

Relationship of international law and municipal law — Customary international law — Whether part of English law — Crimes under customary international law — Whether constituting crimes under municipal law of England — The law of England