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A Case Study of the Herero and Nama Claims for Reparations for Genocide Committed by the German Government

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A Case Study of the Herero and Nama Claims for Reparations for Genocide Committed by the German Government REPARATIONS UNDER INTERNATIONAL LAW: A CASE STUDY OF THE HERERO AND NAMA CLAIMS FOR REPARATIONS FOR GENOCIDE COMMITTED BY THE GERMAN GOVERNMENT A THESIS SUBMITTED IN FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF LAWS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NAMIBIA BY CHRISTIAN HARRIS 200403338 2014 Supervisor: Professor John Baloro, University of Namibia External Examiner: Professor Melvin Mbao, University of the North, Republic of South Africa. Internal Examiner: Professor Boyce Phillip Wanda, University of Namibia i Table of Contents Abstract ....................................................................................................................................................... vii Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................................................... ix Dedication ..................................................................................................................................................... x Supervisors’ certificate ................................................................................................................................ xi Declaration .................................................................................................................................................. xii List of Acronyms ....................................................................................................................................... xiii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Orientation of the Study ............................................................................................................ 1 1.2 Statement of the Problem .......................................................................................................... 2 1.3 Objectives of the Study ............................................................................................................. 2 1.4 Significance of the Study .......................................................................................................... 3 1.5 Limitations of the study ............................................................................................................ 4 1.6 Literature Review ...................................................................................................................... 6 1.7 Research Methodology ........................................................................................................... 18 1.8 Legal Literature and the Internet ............................................................................................ 23 1.9. Ethical issues ........................................................................................................................... 23 1.10. Structure of the thesis .............................................................................................................. 24 2. CHAPTER 2: HISTORICAL CONTEXT OR BACKGROUND ................................................. 26 2.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 26 2.2 A Brief History of Namibia ........................................................................................................ 26 2.3 The pre-colonial History of the Herero and Nama people of Namibia ....................................... 32 2.3.1 The Hereros ......................................................................................................................... 33 2.3.2 The Namas .......................................................................................................................... 37 2.3.3 The Berlin-Africa Conference and the beginning of German colonialism ......................... 39 2.3.4 Genocide ............................................................................................................................. 44 ii 2.4 CONCLUSION ....................................................................................................................... 61 3. CHAPTER 3: THE SCOPE, NATURE AND HISTORY OF THE ORIGINS OF THE PROHIBITION OF THE CRIME OF GENOCIDE. .............................................................................. 63 3. 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 63 3.2 Defining Genocide ................................................................................................................. 63 3.3 Early developments in the prosecution of genocide ............................................................... 66 3.4 Versailles and the Leipzig trials .............................................................................................. 67 3.5 The treaty of Sevres of 1920 and the Armenian genocide ...................................................... 69 3.6 Inter-war developments ........................................................................................................... 69 3. 7 Genocide as a New Crime ....................................................................................................... 70 3. 8 Axis rule in Occupied Europe ................................................................................................. 74 3. 9 Prosecuting the Nazis .............................................................................................................. 76 3. 10 The United Nations War Crimes Commission .................................................................... 76 3. 11 London Conference ............................................................................................................. 78 3. 12 The Nuremberg trial ............................................................................................................ 78 3. 13 From the General Assembly Resolution 96 (1) to the Adoption of the Genocide Convention .......................................................................................................................................... 79 3. 14 Genocide prosecutions after the Nuremberg Trial of the Major War Criminals ..................... 83 3.15 Does the UN Genocide Convention have retrospective effect? .............................................. 84 3.16 Genocidal intent ...................................................................................................................... 96 3.17 Did the German atrocities committed during the Herero/Nama war amount to genocide? .... 101 3.18 The History of the Development of the laws of war ............................................................... 105 3.19 The Historical and Conceptual Development of International Human Rights and Humanitarian law .............................................................................................................................. 113 3.20 Wars of annihilation as violations of contemporaneous International law ....................... 115 3.21 Alleged war crimes perpetrated on the Herero as violations of International law at the time. 122 iii 3.22. CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................................ 127 4. CHAPTER 4: LEGAL BASIS FOR HERERO REPARATIONS AGAINST THE GERMAN GOVERNMENT UNDER INTERNATIONAL LAW ........................................................................ 129 4.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 129 4.2 Sources of the law of reparations ................................................................................................ 129 4.3 Does Humanitarian law apply to reparation? .............................................................................. 132 4.4 The Alien Tort Claims Act (ATCA) of 1789, United States of America .................................. 138 4.5 The Hereros’ cause of action under the Third-Party Beneficiary Doctrine ................................ 143 4.6 Third-party Beneficiary Doctrine under International Law ....................................................... 143 4.7 Third State in the 1969 and the 1986 Vienna Conventions......................................................... 144 4.8 The Herero Nation as a third-Party Beneficiary ........................................................................ 146 4.9 The potential liability of German multinational companies in the commission of the Herero/Nama genocide? .................................................................................................................... 148 4.10 Comparative study of other cases of reparation claims for historical injustices. ......................... 159 4.10 Pending reparation claims ........................................................................................................ 169 4.11 Pandora’s Box? ......................................................................................................................... 173 4.12 Other possible avenues that the Herero/Namas can approach to seek redress ......................... 176 4.13 Doctrine of state immunity as a barrier to reparation claims ................................................... 203 4.14 The doctrine of statutory limitations and the Herero/Nama reparation claims ........................ 209 4.15 Doctrine of State Succession
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