Corfu Channel (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland v. Albania) - Judgment of the Court of 9 April 1949

4
t4f16* 8

1.C.J. Communiquk 49/11.
Unof ftcial.

The followii?g inf ornati-on is sucd by the Regist xgrof the Internat ional

Court of Justice kias bew comvi~icated to the Frass :

Ta-day, April qth, 1949, the International Cou.rt of Justicehas
dtsliverec?,its Judgaent in the Corfu Channel Case (United Kingdom of

Great3ritain and 2iirthsrn Irelad - Albsnia) .

This case arose fsoïn incidents that occurred on October 22nd,1946,
in the Corfu Strait: two British destroyersstmck mines In &Banian
waters and suffered danage, L~çluding scriousloss of life, Th2 United
Kingdom firstscizcd thc Sucurit,g Comcil of the United Kations which,
by a Zesolution of iIpri.1qth, 1947, rscommendcd the ttm Govcments to
submit the dispute to thc Court. T11cUnitcd Kingdom üccordlngly sub-
rnittzd an Application v~hlch, aftaran objcctioa to its admissibility had
boerirniscd by Xlbnnia, t~rasthc sub jack of n Judgmcnt, dated Phrch 25th,
On
1948, in hick thc Court dcclarcd that it gosscsseci jurisdiction.
thc sane dczy the tvm F,zrtics cancludcd 2- Special iigrccmcr~t cskingthc
Court to give judperit on 'LI.fullol~ijng questions :

1, 1s f~lbnniz rcsponsible for thc c,uplosions, a~d is thcre a duty
to pay conpens?-tion ?

2. 1135the ViLiteCt Iiin~ùorviolated international h,r l~ythe acts
of its Mavyin APb-mian wzters, first on the day on %diic:lthe explosions
occürredand, seccndly,on 17civci:ibe12th ad. 13t,th,1446, when it undes-
took 2, swesp of the St~ait ?

Ln its Jur!~. ontof ta-dzy's date, thc Court declmes, on the first
question, Sy II vutes ~gnixist 5, thzt dlbnnin is rcsponsi?lle.

In re2;~rd to the second question, IL Jcclares by 14 votcs agalllst
2 thnt the Unite?: ICiri,d~m dicli?ot violate Lx15anir:~novcreignty on

Octobcr 22nd; but IL r~nlares un~niriously thatit violnt ed tha t sovereignty
on Movcmh~r 12th/13th, and thzt this dechration, in iiself,conskitutes
zpymprintc s~ti;l>.ctisn,

m Y.
H W

Thc Tzcts arc as follows. On Octobur 2Snd, 1346, t.m Rritish
cruisers and two dcstroycrs, coming fron the soutl?, entzrdd the North
Corfu Strait. The chc?.ni.~t!lc;yilrcrdfollowing, hich %as in Albunian
waters,rcs rcgxded as çufe: it :;ad haün sv~ept in 1944 and check-swept
in 1945. One of thù dcstyoyor~, the Samzrex, vrl-irinoffSzrmdc, struck
a mina ?nd kras grav~ly dm?.gccl, The othcr dustmgcr, the Vdage, ms
sent, to hcr -ssistnnci: ;and, rq11iltowbg l~cr, struck ?.i!atheraine n,nd w,?s
also çeriously dam;-gcd. Forty-fivc British officers snilorslost
thcir liveç, a.id forty-t~ro others wûrc ~munded,

An incidont hed ::lrcnd~- ocçurrod in thesc :r,tcrs on 1D.g15th, 1946:
an d1bmi::n b'zttcry !?adfirnd in tha direction of kwoaritish cruisers.
The Uni'b~d ICii~gdorG3vcrnmbnt hzd protcsted, stnt irigthat innocent passage
tllrcugh çtraits is 2 rigbt rccognized by intern~.tiori.?v1zi.fthe Albanian

Mvernment ... Goverment hnd rcplicd thzt forzig3 warships nr~d norch:nr?t vesscls h~d no
right tc,pass thrsugh Albanim tcrritorj al ~izters tslthotitprior authori-
satim; 2nd oiiiiu~~t, 2nd, lyi-6, the Ilniteci Kingdam Gclvernqent hnd rcplicd
thzt if,in thc future, firc w?.s opencd on 7-British wrship passing through
the Ezannel, the firc wo~:ld hc rcturned* Finnlly, nn Septeribcr 21st, 1946,
theXdnlralty in London had cribled t~ thc 8ritish Comx-nder-in-Chief in
the $i,;adlterrancan to thef olloanng eff ect: llEstablishmcnt of diplo~at ic
relations witli Albmi: is zgai.3 undercoasidcr~tion by His Tkjestyl s
rdvcrment wkLo wj-$5 to know whethcr the I:.ilbni:!.Goverment have lenrnt to

behnve thcmselves.Inf4r;:izticîn i.s req~cstcd. whether any ships underyour '
corniand heve passer* tlirough thc &nth Corfu Strvit since ;'iligusnnd,if not,
whctkcr you irrtcrd t'lcrrti.Go Sri311ortlyq1!

After thc: explosions on Octrhcr 22i1d, the United Kingdom Goverimont
sent a Note to Tiram nnnouncing Its intention to srqeep thc Corfu Cnnmkl
sh rtly, The rcply FIESthat this consent wc!dd nct bc glven urless the
operntion in question took pl2.c~ outsidcAl'oani?.n t~rritoricl waters and
thct2ny swecp undertzkcn i,ïthclse w~terswould bc n violntion of

Albani3 ls sovereigiitÿ,

The swoepcffectc6 Ly thc British Navy to~k place on I'dovember 12th/13th
1946, in Albmi~n torri.tcr:inl tl~~tcrs and witi13.nthe l~hit$ of the ch~~nol
prcviously swcpt . 'rivcnty-two rnciorcd r-.iiïwerc cut; thcy were nines of the
Ceman C-Y'cypz.

The first qxasti.sn put 5y the Spccinl kgreemnt; is th& of .,lbmlais
responsibility under in ternati~n~l lm, for thc ~xplosions on Octaber
ZSnd, 1946.

The Court find.3, iri the first place, thrzt the explosion s~.~Eiçaused

bg nhcs bclcfig$ng to the ni~efield discovr:rcd on Novernber 13th. IL is
not, indccd, contcstcd thzt this !:!incficld li1?.barn receiitly lzid; it FES
in t5c cham~l, which Ilad bcon previously svwpt 2nd check-swcpt 2nd could
be regarded 2,sszfc, thzt thc cxplosiofis h?.2taken plzcc. The natureof
e the darnzge shows t11c.it w2ç duc to miines ~f ths sme type as thosc swept
on Novmbcr 13th; finally, thc: iheory th~t the mines discovered on
fiiovcmber13th might hnve been laid ,?ftc t5e c-xplosions on October 22nd,
is hprobnbls tu Be ii.cccpt~d.

In thcso circmistnnces, the questionarises dl~t is the leg21 bnois
of klbnninfs responslbilit ?y Th2 Court d.oesriat Seel thztit need pay
serious atteyition to tilt suggestion thzt HLhnnia hersslf lnid themines :
that suggestion wz.3 only put ffcirrrarpromanoris withaut ovidence in
support,and coulcl not bc rscoticilcd with the undisputecl fact 'that, on
tnc tho1.c ~-ilb?nia~ 13ttora1, thore arc orily -n fcw launches aridmotor
boatS. But tlhoUnit ecl ICingdornal-so nllcger: the cO;iilivzïei of >:ilbanis:
thzt the minolczying hp.c!becn carriad out by ,twc Yu-gosl.?.~mrships by the
request of ;,bbania, or with hcr ,?_cquiescenc Te.e Ccurt finds thzt this
collusion 1-13snot been pmved, A charge of such exception?.l grzrity

agzlnst a Stntc wduld rcquirca dcgree of ccrtninty th?.C has nvt been
reacned hers, and the ori$rb 3f the mines hici in Albnnhn territcirial
watersrwsins 2.mntter fcir conjecture. Thc Unitcd Kin&c?.cn3150 c?rguc2 that, whocvcr rignf; tlethe zuthors of

the 'rninclqcing, it couLd kt hnvo Sccn eff ectzd wttho~1.t Abanta ls know-
led... Truc. ti~c merc fzct th?,t mineswerc 1-ai2 in Albzriinn w2ters
ncither involvcs piha facic rcsponsibiliky ri.nrdoes it shift the bilrl.en
of proof. On the ithcr ixincl,the cxcliisive contml exorçis~cl by n St,zte
within its fronticrs gag rmkc it CqmssiSle to furnish direct proof of
facts which ~muld j.rivalve its respo~sibilit yn case 3E ir violntlon of
intcrn,.iti~nnl l~w. The Stntc whichis the vic-t;Li~mczst, in tkt case, bc
allowcd a rnorc libcral recoursc to Uif crcnccs ?f fxt ::ad circu3stsnti?.l

cvidcnce; such indirect evic!oilce mut bc resrdccl c?~ 3f eçpecial weigfit
when base? on a sorics of Îacts,linketl togcthor cizd 1ezdiri.g 1ogic;:lly
to n sin& conclusion.

In the prcsent, case two $Crics of facts, which corrobor?.te orle
another, havc to be considcrcd.,

The fkst reL?tt?5 to .ther',lbminn Csvcmentfs attitudcScf~re anc!
nfter thc cztastrophc. The laying of the inines Look pl?.cc in a pcriod

In which it h-d shown its hitentian to kecp n jealous w:.tch on its
territorial vmtcrUs m6 i.n w!iich it ms rcquiring prior nuthorisri."tion
befcire they rrere entcred, this vigilnncc sometjmes goj.!-iso fnr as to
+involve the use af force: all of which rcncler the nsser.'cion of ?.m-rance
a priori inprobable, Iforeovcs, when the ,'~1?3a n-n Ca-sveimierit hailbccome
fully 2mrc of the cxistc~lce ~f a !:rinefielci., it protosted strofi.;.;l.y
ngainst the nctivity of the British Flcct, but not n$.inst the ïzying
of thc r>ines, tl:ou$~ this act, if effeetedwitho~i-t her consent, would

I~nve been z very scrious vio38.tion of hcr soverei;:pty; sko diri no%
notify shipping gf the cxjstenue of the nim ficlri, as h~ould bc required
by international Law; and she clidno t undertz-kc nny of the nc~surcs cf
judicial investigation which would çeem to b¢ i~cc~c~be~t 33 her iri such zd
case, Such ailattitudc coulrl only be cxplaii~cr: if thc !?,liizriinn &vcm:lent,
while knotsing of the ninelaying, d,sired ths cireur:!stcnces in w!~ich it
wzs effccted ta rernain secret.

The seconcl seriesof fa,cts rulates to the possibilitjr of observing
the minelaying frori the .ilbani::rcoa st . Gcograpiiic,zUy, tlie chanrel is
ezsily méched: it is do!ninated by heigk:ts offering cxaellent observation
points, and it runs close t3 the coast (the iîearcst ~~ine ms 500 m. fron
the shore), The mcthc9Jical 2..n2wcll Shought-out Lzying of the mines
conpclled the minelayers Vo rmnin from tim to twa-2nd-a-hnl hours in
the waters Sctwccn Cape Kieyhali and the St. Gear2;els &~nastery. In

regarc! to that point, the naml experts appaintcd by the Coufi reported,
after cnquiry nncl Investlg~tion on the spt, that they considered Lt
to be indisputabl 'Ghxt, if norn1c7.1lcîok-out inraskcpt at Cppe Kiephcli,
Dents Point, and St. George's Monastery, and if the Look-outs were
oquipped ~5th binoculzrs, undernormal mzther conrliti~nç f~r this nrea,
the mine-lagirig operations mst hzve bcen n~tlced bg thc~e coastguarcls,
The existence of 3 look-out post zt Denta Foint w2.s r:ot cstablished;
but the Coukt, bnsing itseH cin the docl;:ratioris of the .;lSani:r;Cavern-
ment th?"t lazk-outposts were statiane~l.at othcr pints, rsfers tc the
following conchsions '5nthe experts' report: thatin thc c~se of
ninelnying 1) from the North .torr.mrdsthe South,the inhelr*yers vrould

have been seen fr~n Cnpe Kicshali; i-ffrox .;auth t~wards the North, they
v~auld have bccn seen from Cape Kicphcli ~n? 3t, GegrgetsNan~steqr.

F~rn al].the facts and obscrie.ticns irientioiierabovc, the Clsurt
d-raws tha conclusi~n that the layiilg 3f the rxinefiuld cculd. nat h2vc bcen
accom~lished without the knowlp~!gc i>fklbznia. As r!:p,ard.the obligations
resultLrg for her frum this IrtzowXe::ge, they nrc nat disyiuted. ït ras her
duty ho notify shippinir;2nd espccinlly to lam. Glic ships yr :ceedll?g

through ..:
.through the Strait 3n 9ct,jbcr 22nd of thc Sanger tc )hich t'ley wrrre
exposee, In fcct, ri3thLlg ?ras nttenptedby A'ilbc?ninta prevent the
diszst~r, and ihese gr2vc c~issions inv~lve ter int ornstion?.l respons-
ibi1it.j.

The Speclzl ,i;rea::mt asks the Cmrt to say ~Ihcther, on this
zr~vmG., there is "zny c'xtyj'for ~Jbnnia '%O py cornpe:?sationn tto the
Unitcd :Cingclom,This +,LA% ~Z~VC rise t3 ccrta-in dgubts: c~ulc! the
Gmrt not ont7 dccidc dn tho ~rhciple of conpcnsntian but aiso nssess
the =.ount ? Thc Court a-.s~rcre(l in thc affim.tive an:!,by n spccilzl
Orrie7,i-L has fj~oc!. tijric-Lir?.itto cni%SLc th6 Parties to sulxit their
vicws to it on this subject.

Tir: Court thcn goas on to the second questisn in the Spccial
Are cet : Did the Unit ci!Fin~~lornviolat e Albanian saverciznty on
Pctobsr 22nd, 1946, or on >Jave~E~cr12t1~/13th, 1946 ?

The Albmim c3.zic to mkc the psss2.g~ #if shi-ps conr!itional on a
ri orauthorisatlo nonflicts vdth tha ~enerrilly ncbittzd principle that
States, in tinc cf peacc, hnvc n right to scnd thcir v~arships through
strzits us& for internztional n~vi~tion bct~rcen two pnrts ~f the
hi&h sens, provi2cZ that the pssage is innocent. Thc Corfu Strnit
ùelangs zeogrnphicall tyo this category, even tliough it is onlv of
secsndary inportancc(inthe smsc thetit is not neceçsnry mute
betwcentvro px%s of the hi~;!i seas) and irrcsi;cctive of the valme of

traffic pnssing tlirouz!~ Lt. :i factof pcrticular inportance is thet
it constitutes a fronticr betwccn Albanin and Grcccc, ai?$ thzt a part
of the strzit i.si;~k~rkiilt5iri the territorial waters 2f thuse Stztes.
It is a Snct that thc ttio St?,tes did rlct iaintaïn nomS. relations,
Grecce ha vin^ ïrsdc territorial clains prcciscly with regardto c pl-t
of the coast bnrr!.o*.inthe strait, I-lowcvcr,the Cmrt is of opinion
that Albanin u~duld iiarrebecn justiflec: i~ V~W ;ifthooc cxçupti~~nnl cir-

i~r~hil~$tin!-:suchs~2.9~3;.e.31'111iSU'jcctin;.s;itc1;::th^ rcquira,ient, of special '
autharl~~?,ti~n.

.';lbai~in has denifid that khe passage an October 22ad was innocent,
She nlleps tliatit was ripol5tical rnisslan 2~~d that t5e nie th or?^
cinplojrc.2 the nimbcr 2f shi~s, their fçrn~atFoy, am?:ont, mnocuvres,
etc. - shored an Interhion to in-LMdztdnte, Thc Culiirte=rnined the
differ~nt Albanian contwtions so fas as they zppeared relevant, Its
conclusion is that Lhe p..sur.;rt1.m~ inn~ccnt Loth in its ~rinciple, since

it was desiped. to ~-ffim e rigk-itwhich had :ïccn mjustly doniecl, and
in its nethocls of CXCCU~~D~,~~T~~C~ were not imreasori_zble in viw of the
firin; frolrthe Jl'~:lr-ilnbattvry on &hy 15th.

:Ls regzrclç the operation vn T:svcli!ber13th/l3th, it l;~,sexecuted
contrary to the clcarly cxprc?ssec?wish of "te kllinnim Gclvei-runent; it
did nat hnvc the canscnt ?f the international &,e clear~r~ce orgnnizations;
it coulri.not b~ justiliei!. as the oxercise of the right of innocent
pnssnye. The United !iing,.orri hni; stctetllqzt its objoct JVLS to secure
the nines 35 quicIc1y acl jm~~ibl~ f3r fear lestthey sho721?:be tilken aray

by thc nuthors 3Z thc rriiiclayLrc Qr bg the Alhanien authoritiest :his
w2s przsented either as o ne^^ an? speciz.1 rrpplical.ion oi the thcory of
intcrvcntiori, 5y nerin.oof phich the intervenin: Stntc pas acting tofacilitzte the tnsk of the international triburial. or CS a riet!~.od cf
sclf-protccti~o nr oelf-hclp. Tl-ie Court cznilut ,?ccept thcse1.inoç of
clefence. It can oilljjregard the a11c:l:ed right JÏ intc-rvcitiori 2s the
manifestatirin of polic?~ ~f forcc which canri,>t ?in-! n ulc?ce tn

internation2 sw. As rc31rr?s the noti~n of self-hclp, the Court is
nlso unableto nccept it: betwocln independent States the rcsbect fir
territorial sovcrci~-iity is 211 zssen.tial fomct-7tion f3r intcmütional
relations. Certninly, the Court rcc ~ilises thc .ilbani2n Covcrrmerit 1,.;
complete failure to car-ry out its cluties zfter the cqlosions ancl the
Silatory nature of Tts diplom~tic hTatcs as uxtenuntLne circu?istcnccs fur
thc acti~n of thc United Kingdor~. B=t, to ensure respvct for intametional

Jaw, cif which it is the or>zn, the Court i~.uiustrleclzre thai, the aktion of
the British iiavy consti tuti;ci n vio1ati;in cf hl5anian sovcroigty. This
duchration is in accordai~cc witl-i the rcquc st &,?.:leby 1'=1lmnri_?.;hrout;ll
her counsol and is fn itsclf apymprintc sntTsfaction.

To the Judment of the kourt thcrc me attcched or~e declzraticn
and the dissentin, opinions rlf Juclccs ~~lv~rzz, hrinhrski, Z3ricic,
Baclawi Pasha, Krylov 3112 Lzcvctlo, anci. ?.li;o thritof Dr. Eccr, Jirdgz
c~d hoc.