International courts are formed by treaties between nations or under the authority of an international organization like the United Nations. Those subject to the court will typically include signatory states (and, in some cases, private citizens of those states). The authorizing statute or treaty for an international court will outline its jurisdiction, usually including the following:
The decisions of international courts and tribunals, as well as those of domestic courts, may play a subsidiary role in helping to determine rules of international law. Probably the two best known international tribunals are the UN’s International Court of Justice and the Court of Justice of the European Union.
The following is a list of the major international courts and tribunals that regularly deal with issues of international humanitarian law:
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