GPIL – German Practice in International Law

Published: 28 February  2023 Author: Stefan Talmon

In a piece for German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, published on 23 February 2023, Federal Minster of Justice Marco Buschmann announced major changes to the German Code of Crimes Against International Law (CCAIL), the German Code of Criminal Procedure, and the Court Constitution Act with regard to crimes against international law. On the same day, the Federal Ministry of Justice issued a four-page Paper outlining proposals for the development of international criminal law in Germany in more detail. (more…)

Published: 22 February 2023 Author: Stefan Talmon 

On 10 August 2021, German Federal Police arrested David Smith, a British national who worked as a security guard at the British embassy in Berlin, on suspicion of spying for Russia. Under German criminal law, intelligence activities against a fellow NATO member State in Germany is to be treated as intelligence activities against Germany. German police searched the suspect’s home in Potsdam outside Berlin and his workplace at the embassy. The arrest was the result of a joint investigation by the German Federal Police and the Counter Terrorism Commando of London’s Metropolitan Police. The next day, Smith was brought before an investigating judge of the Federal Court of Justice who ordered his pre-trial detention. Asked about the case, Federal Foreign Minister Heiko Maas stated: ‘Spying on a close ally on German soil is absolutely unacceptable and we are in full solidarity with our British friends.’ (more…)

Published: 15 February 2023 Authors: Stefan Talmon and Tobias Weiß

On 1 July 2022, Viet Nam began issuing new non-biometric passports with a dark blue cover and a serial number beginning with ‘P’. Unlike the previous green passports, the new document no longer included the place of birth of the holder. Instead, the place of birth was hidden in a twelve-digit personal numeric code that had to be deciphered using a seven-page list of tables. Contrary to international practice, Viet Nam had not informed the German Government in advance about the new passports. On 27 July 2022, Germany became the first country to stop recognising the new passports. (more…)

Published 15 February 2023 Author: Stefan Talmon

We are delighted to announce that the second volume of German Practice in International Law has been published by Cambridge University Press. This volume assembles seventy-three case studies by twenty-one authors, a 102-page digest section with notable statements on international law by Germany and a list of international agreements concluded by Germany in 2020. The 2021 volume is to follow at the end of this year. Please support the GPIL project by recommending the books to your librarian.

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Published: 11 January 2023 Author: Joshua Wirtz

As a new year is upon us, it is time to take our customary glance back at the past year of GPIL by sharing the statistics for 2022: (more…)

Published: 6 June 2022  Author: Stefan Talmon

We are delighted to announce that the first volume of German Practice in International Law has been published by Cambridge University Press. The first volume assembles some eighty case studies by twenty-one authors, a sixty-two-page digest section with notable statements on international law by Germany and a list of international agreements concluded by Germany in 2019. The 2020 volume is to follow at the end of this year. Please support the GPIL project by recommending the books to your librarian.

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On 24 February 2021, the Higher Regional Court in Koblenz sentenced Eyad Al-Gharib to four years and six months in prison for his role as an officer of the Syrian General Intelligence Directorate. The Court found Al-Gharib guilty of aiding and abetting a crime against humanity by torture and grave deprivation of liberty under the German Code of Crimes against International Law (CCAIL). Section 7 of the CCAIL provides in the relevant parts: (more…)

Published 28 April 2022  Authors: Stefan Talmon and Joshua Wirtz 

On the evening of 19 November 2021, unknown perpetrators hurled an incendiary device at the entrance of Iran’s consulate in the northern German city of Hamburg, sparking a fire that was quickly doused. The attack resulted in some damage to the building, but no casualties were reported. Upon being called to the scene by passers-by, the police immediately launched a major manhunt; underground trains were stopped and searched. Two persons were briefly detained but later released when it turned out that they had nothing to do with the attack. (more…)

Published: 11 January 2022 Authors: Stefan Talmon and Zoé Flöer

In 2021, Germany signed some 80 bilateral agreements. By far the most bilateral agreements were concluded with the United States concerning the exemption and benefits of US enterprises serving US troops in Germany under the Supplementary Agreement to the NATO Status of Forces Agreement. In addition, Germany concluded some 12 multilateral treaties during that period and signed numerous non-legally binding international agreements such as Memoranda of Understanding and Declarations of Intent. The following is an incomplete list compiled from public sources: (more…)

Published: 3 January 2022 Author: Stefan Talmon

It is the time of the year for statistics. I am delighted to report that 2021 has been another good year for GPIL: (more…)