The Impact of International Criminal Conventions on the Principle of Legality: A Comparative Legal Analysis of Sovereignty, Reservations, and Harmonization in the Age of Globalized Crime
Keywords:
Criminal Law; International Conventions; Legality Principle; Reservations; Sovereignty; Treaty ImplementationAbstract
This study examines the transformative effect of international criminal conventions on the principle of legality (nullum crimen, nulla poena sine lege) within domestic legal systems, with particular emphasis on the tension between state sovereignty and international obligations. Through a comparative analysis of civil and common law jurisdictions—including Algeria, France, Egypt, Germany, and the United States—the paper investigates how states incorporate international crimes into national legislation while preserving constitutional and cultural particularities. The research problem centers on three questions: (1) How do international conventions reshape the traditional boundaries of the legality principle? (2) To what extent do reservations enable states to balance sovereignty with compliance? (3) What are the implications of prohibiting reservations in modern treaties like the Rome Statute? The methodology combines doctrinal legal analysis with comparative jurisprudential examination of treaty implementation mechanisms, judicial interpretations, and state practice under the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (1969). Findings reveal a paradigm shift from absolute legislative sovereignty to "conditioned sovereignty," where international norms increasingly constrain domestic criminal lawmaking. Reservations, while preserving state autonomy, fragment international criminal law and create enforcement gaps exploited by transnational criminals. The prohibition of reservations in treaties establishing international criminal courts represents the apex of this sovereignty limitation. The study recommends enhanced harmonization techniques, model implementation laws, and a nuanced approach to reservations that respects cultural specificity without undermining treaty objectives. It concludes that the legality principle must evolve to accommodate international sources of criminal law while maintaining its core protective function against arbitrary state power.
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