| 释义 |
International Court of Justice
A court at The Hague, consisting of 15 judges elected for 9-year terms of office, that has power to determine disputes relating to international law. It was set up by the United Nations in succession to the Permanent Court of International Justice, and all members of the UN are automatically parties to the Statute of the Court. No state may be brought before the Court in contentious proceedings unless it has accepted its jurisdiction, either by agreement in a particular case or by recognition of the authority of the Court in general, in respect of any dispute with another state accepting the general jurisdiction of the Court (the principle of reciprocity; see also optional clause). The Court may also give advisory opinions (see advisory jurisdiction), which do not bind the parties but are of great persuasive authority. The Court’s first case was that of the Corfu Channel litigation (Great Britain v Albania [1949] ICJ Rep 1, 244). The Court decided that the UK had a right to navigate through the Corfu Channel, thus holding Albania responsible for the damage to a Royal Navy vessel. However, Albania refused to pay the compensation awarded by the Court until 1996, when a settlement was finally reached. |