Assessing the legitimacy of unilateral economic sanctions imposed against human rights violations under international law
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Date
2024-08
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
This thesis sought to investigate the efficacy of international human rights enforcement mechanisms, the meaning and purpose of unilateral economic sanctions, and their use in response to human rights abuses. It determines whether unilateral economic sanctions are consistent with international law and assesses their effectiveness in protecting human rights.
Following a discussion of the aforementioned concerns, the thesis contends that unilateral economic sanctions implemented in response to human rights infractions are not expressly prohibited by international law. Instead, the character and proportionality of the action establish its legitimacy per the fundamentals of international law. The rights of the sanctioned state to development, self-determination, and humanitarian concerns are all impacted by those unilateral economic sanctions in different ways. The thesis suggests that caution be exercised in selecting the kinds of sanctions to be imposed to prevent unintentional humanitarian crises and human rights violations until a definitive answer is provided about the legitimacy of those unilateral economic measures by public international law.