Dr. Munir Nuseibah:

There are two types of responsibility stemming from breaches of international law, especially when we are talking about peremptory norms of international law and international crimes. The first is state responsibility. If a state is doing a wrongful act that is ongoing, the first responsibility is that it must stop the act immediately. Second, it must provide guarantees of non-repetition. Third, it must provide reparations. Those reparations would include restitution, which is impossible in this situation because there is no way to get the situation back to the way it existed before the violation that Ireland is currently doing. It must also provide compensation, which is money that is given to the victims who endured the ongoing violation. It must also provide satisfaction, which is an apology or acknowledgment of wrongdoing. This is one type of responsibility called state responsibility.

The second type is individual criminal responsibility. It is the responsibility globally recognised after the Nuremberg tribunals. War crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and aggression are all international crimes that can be prosecuted in international courts, such as the International Criminal Court, or at international tribunals. They can also be prosecuted within domestic courts. Even the prosecutor in Ireland can examine whatever is related to this crime and can accuse individuals of the crime if he or she finds they knowingly contributed to a certain crime.

From Ireland’s point of view, it is important to ensure Ireland is not engaged in these actions, both for Ireland’s interest and in order to protect individuals who are in charge or in important positions from being criminally liable for these acts that are allowing another country to raise funds for crimes.