International Law Review

International Law Review

Rethinking the Legal Effects of the ICJ Advisory Opinions in the Light of 2021 ITLOS Judgment in the Mauritius/Maldives Case

Document Type : academic

Authors
Alireza Ranjbar 1
Hamid Alhooii Nazari 2
1 Ph.D. Student of Public International Law, Faculty of Law and Political Science, University of Tehran
2 Assistant Professor, Department of Public Law, Faculty of Law and Political Science, University of Tehran
10.22066/cilamag.2022.254158
Abstract
There is almost a consensus, in the case law of International Court of Justice and the opinions of its Judges, as well as in the doctrine, regarding the non-binding nature of the Advisory Opinions of the Court. However, there is a disagreement about the legal effects of the Advisory Opinions of the International Court of Justice. The very recent ruling by the Special Chamber of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in the Mauritius/ Maldives case in preliminary objections, relying on the International Court of Justice's 2019 Advisory Opinion in the “Legal Consequences of the Separation of the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965”, led to the rejection of one of the Maldivian government's preliminary objections. This raises the question that what credibility can be given to the legal effects of ICJ Advisory Opinions under International Law. Although most experts believe that the legal effects of the Court's Advisory Opinions cannot be ignored, it seems that it is not possible to consider a single ruling on the legal effects of all Advisory Opinions, but rather to determine the criteria by which the weight of the legal status of each Advisory Opinion should be evaluated and reviewed separately.
Keywords
International Court of Justice
Advisory Opinion
International Dispute Settlement
International Tribunals
Precautionary Jurisdiction
Discretion

  1. الف. فارسی

    - کتاب

    رضادوست، وحید، دیوان بین‌المللی دادگستری: ساختار استدلالی، رویۀ قضایی، سیاست حقوقی، تهران: نشر نگاه معاصر، 1401.

     

    - مقاله

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    ب. انگلیسی

    - Books

    1. Aljahjoub, Mahasen M., The Advisory Function of the International Court of Justice 1946−2005, Berlin: Springer-Verlag, 2006.
    2. Cassese, Antonio, “The International Court of Justice: It is High Time to Restyle the Respected Old Lady”, In: Cassese, Antonio (ed.), Realizing Utopia: The Future of International Law, Oxford University Press, 2012.
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    - Articles

    1. Ago, Roberto, “"Binding" Advisory Opinions of the International Court of Justice”, The American Journal of International Law, vol. 85, No. 3, July, 1991.
    2. Eichberger, Fabian Simon, “The Legal Effect of ICJ Advisory Opinions Redefined? The Mauritius/Maldives Delimitation Case — Judgment on Preliminary Objections”, Melbourne Journal of International Law, vol. 22, No. 2, July 30 2021.
    3. Gaver, Craig D., “Dispute Concerning Delimitation of the Maritime Boundary Between Mauritius and Maldives in the Indian Ocean (Mauritius/Maldives)”, American Journal of International Law (AJIL International Decisions), vol. 115, Issue 3, July 2021.
    4. Guilfoyle, Douglas, “The Chagos Archipelago before International Tribunals: Strategic Litigation and the Production of Historical Knowledge”, Melbourne Journal of International Law, vol. 21, 2021
    5. Mayr, Teresa F., Mayr-Singer, Jelka, “Keep the Wheels Spinning: The Contributions of Advisory Opinions of the International Court of Justice to the Development of International Law”, Heidelberg Journal of International Law, vol. 76, 2016.
    6. Webb, Philippa, “The United Kingdom and the Chagos Archipelago Advisory Opinion: Engagement and Resistance”, Melbourne Journal of International Law, vol. 21, 2021

     

    - Treaties

    1. Covenant of the League of Nations, 28 June 1919 (entered into force 10 January 1920).
    2. Charter of the United Nations, 26 June 1945 (entered into force 24 October 1945).
    3. Statute of the International Court of Justice, 24 October 1945.

     

    - Judgments, Orders, and Advisory Opinions (and Related Materials)

    1. Accordance with International Law of the Unilateral Declaration of Independence in Respect of Kosovo, Advisory Opinion, I.C.J. Reports 2010.
    2. Declaration of Judge Gevorgian, Legal Consequences of the Separation of the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965, Advisory Opinion, I.C.J. Reports 2019.
    3. Declaration of Judge Tomka, Legal Consequences of the Separation of the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965, Advisory Opinion, I.C.J. Reports 2019.
    4. Dispute Concerning Delimitation of the Maritime Boundary Between Mauritius and Maldives in the Indian Ocean (Mauritius/Maldives), Written Preliminary Objections of the Republic of Maldives Under Article 294 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and Article 97 of the Rules of the International Tribunal for the Law of the SeaInternational Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, 18 December 2019.
    5. Dispute Concerning Delimitation of the Maritime Boundary Between Mauritius and Maldives in the Indian Ocean (Mauritius/Maldives), Written Observations of the Republic of Mauritius on the Preliminary Objections Raised by the Republic of Maldives, Volume I, International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, 17 February 2020.
    6. Dispute Concerning Delimitation of the Maritime Boundary Between Mauritius and Maldives in the Indian Ocean (Mauritius/Maldives), Written Observations of the Republic of Maldives in Reply to the Written Observations of the Republic of Mauritius, International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, 15 April 2020.
    7. Dispute Concerning Delimitation of the Maritime Boundary Between Mauritius and Maldives in the Indian Ocean (Mauritius/Maldives) Preliminary Objections Judgment, International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, 28 January 2021.
    8. Dissenting Opinion of Judge Donoghue, Legal Consequences of the Separation of the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965, Advisory Opinion, I.C.J. Reports 2019.
    9. Dissenting opinion of Judge Gerald Fritzmaurice, Legal Consequences for States of the Contitiued Presence of South Africa in Namibia (South West Africa) notwithstanding Security Council Resolution 276 (1970), Advisory Opinion, I.C.J. Reports 1971.
    10. Interpretation of Peace Treaties (with Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania), Advisory Opinion (1), I.C.J. Reports 1950.
    11. Judgment No. 2867 of the Administrative Tribunal of the International Labour Organization upon a Complaint Filed against the International Fund for Agricultural Development, Advisory Opinion, I.C.J. Reports 2012.
    12. Legal Consequences for States of the Contitiued Presence of South Africa in Namibia (South West Africa) notwithstanding Security Council Resolution 276 (1970), Advisory Opinion, I.C.J. Reports 1971.
    13. Legal Consequences of the Construction of a Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Advisory Opinion, I.C.J. Reports 2004.
    14. Legal Consequences of the Separation of the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965, Advisory Opinion, I.C.J. Reports 2019.
    15. Legality of the Threat or Use of Nuclear Weapons, Advisory Opinion, I.C.J. Reports 1996.
    16. Military and Paramilitary Activities in and against Nicaragua (Nicaragua United States of America), Jurisdiction and Admissibility, Judgment, I.C.J. Reports 1984.
    17. Monetary Gold Removed from Rome in 1943 (Italy France, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and United States of America), Judgment, I.C.J. Reports 1954.
    18. Separate Opinion of Judge Azevedo, Interpretation of Peace Treaties (with Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania), Advisory Opinion (1), I.C.J. Reports 1950.
    19. Separate Opinion of Judge Dillard, Western Sahara, Advisoty Opinion, I.C.J. Reports 1975.
    20. Separate Opinion of Judge Sir Gerald Fitzmaurice, Certain expenses of the United Nations (Article 17, paragraph 2, of the Charter), Advisory Opinion, I.C.J. Reports 1962.
    21. South West Africa (Ethiopia v. South Africa/ Liberia v. South Africa) (II), Judgment, I.C.J. Reports 1966.
    22. Status of Eastern Carelia, Advisory Opinion, PCIJ, 23 July 1923.
    23. Western Sahara, Advisoty Opinion, I.C.J. Reports 1975.

     

    - UN Documents

    1. Advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on the Legal Consequences of the Separation of the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965, GA Res. 73/295, UN Doc. A/RES/73/295 (2019).
    2. Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, GA Res. 1514, UN Doc. A/RES/1514(XV) (1960).
    3. Declaration on the Prevention and Removal of Disputes and Situations Which May Threaten International Peace and Security, GA Res. 43/51, UN Doc. A/RES/43/51 (1988).
    4. Question of the Mauritius, GA Res. 2066, UN Doc. A/RES/2066(XX) (1965)
    5. Request for an Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice on the Legal Consequences of the Separation of the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965, GA Res. 71/292, UN Doc. A/RES/71/292 (2017).
    6. The Corfu Channel incidents, SC Res. 22, UN Doc. S/RES/22 (1947).

     

    - Speeches

    1. Speech of His Excellency Judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf, President of the International Court of Justice, to The Security Council, 18 December 2020 (Upholding international law within the context of fostering close co-operation between the International Court of Justice and the Security Council).
    2. Speech of Judge Joan E. Donoghue, President of the International Court of Justice, on the occasion of the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Court (video message), 18 December 2020.

     

    - Online

    1. Thin, Sarah, “The Curious Case of the ‘Legal Effect’ of ICJ Advisory Opinions in the Mauritius/Maldives Maritime Boundary Dispute”, EJIL: Talk! - Blog of the European Journal of International Law, 5 February 2021, Available at: https://www.ejiltalk.org/the-curious-case-of-the-legal-effect-of-icj-advisory-opinions-in-the-mauritius-maldives-maritime-boundary-dispute/, last seen 8th October 2022.

  • Receive Date 14 May 2022
  • Revise Date 31 July 2022
  • Accept Date 10 August 2022