Commercially motivated pillage has taken on increasing importance in recent years as the illegal exploitation of natural resources has emerged as a primary means of financing conflict. SALC attended a conference organised by the Open Society Justice Initiative in The Hague on the crime pillage and its application to the illegal exploitation of natural resources by corporations and their officers.

Pillage is a well-established war crime. It is included in the statutes of all international criminal tribunals and features in the domestic criminal law adopted by many countries that implement domestic war crime legislation into their national legal systems. Prosecuting pillage could play a critical role in challenging the companies and representatives who fuel many of the most horrific wars of our time, while also deterring future abuse.

The conference and James Stewarts’ publication, Corporate War Crimes: Prosecuting the Pillage of Natural Resources explore the elements of corporate liability for the war crime of pillage and provides a much needed blueprint for investigative bodies, war crimes prosecutors, and judges to prosecute corporate plunder during war as well as corporate involvement in international crimes in general.   

The full report is available here

Print