From Nuremberg to The Hague: Criminal Responsibility for Crimes against Humanity as a Whole

In the opinion of Socorro Flores, the international prosecution of people accused of committing crimes against humanity has been limited, in light of the magnitude and complexity of these crimes. Following the Nuremberg and Tokyo trials, which established the foundations of international criminal law, no other trials of such transcendence have been held. It was not until 1993, with the creation of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, that the tenets and principles of criminal law, proclaimed after the end of World War II, were enforced in the international arena, giving way to an unprecedented evolution of the law that seeks to reduce the possibility of crimes of this nature going unpunished. According to the author, this evolution is most clearly reflected in the creation of the International Criminal Court. Mexico is part of this evolving scenario and Socorro Flores believes we should step up efforts to revise and adapt our legislation, so that we are in a position to strengthen our legal institutions and comply with the international obligations we have assumed.