Former Fellow

Justas Namavičius

Research assistant at Vilnius University (Institute of Criminal Law)

Project title:
The principle of legality in European and international criminal law

Abstract
I am currently interested in the principle of legality, especially in relation to European and international criminal law. Europeanization is primarily concerned with effectiveness; international criminal law, on the other hand, strives for substantive justice, but not necessarily (only) retrospectively oriented, but also with the function of self-affirmation in the sense of a certain interpretation of historical events, as can also be observed to some extent in the current development of Lithuanian case law with regard to the interpretation of international war crimes. The aforementioned development trends are in tension with the formal principle of legality, which must be examined more closely with regard to its functions.

  • Biografische Angaben

    Dr. Justas Namavičius studied law at the University of Bonn from 1997-2004 (first state examination); he later worked as a research assistant at the Institute of Criminal Law at the University of Bonn and completed his legal clerkship at the Higher Regional Court of Cologne (second state examination 2012). He received his doctorate from the University of Bonn in 2011 (Territorial Principle and Distance Offense, Baden-Baden, 2012). Mr. Namavičius teaches and researches at Vilnius University (Institute of Criminal Law) and at the Institute of Law (Vilnius). He also advises various state institutions. In his publications and lectures, he analyzes the issues of the general part of criminal law with references to the law of the European Union; he is also interested in the history of Soviet criminal law.
  • Publikationen

    Souveränität und Integration: Verfassungsrechtliche Fragen der Mitgliedschaft Litauens in Europäischer Union [Sovereignty and Integration: Constitutional Issues with regard to the Membership of Lithuania in the European Community], co-author: Zenonas Namavičius, in: Osteuropa-Recht 2006, p. 152. Die Reform der litauischen Verwaltungsjustiz [The Reform of the Lithuanian Administrative Justice], in: Osteuroparecht 2007, p. 21. Hafenlichter“ [„The harbour lights”], a hypothetical criminal law case for the training purposes of students, in: Juristische Ausbildung 2007, p. 190. Territorialgrundsatz und Distanzdelikt [The Principle of Territoriality and the Distance Offence], Baden-Baden 2012, monography [PhD Thesis]. Neuere Entwicklungen des litauischen Strafrechts [Recent Developments of the Lithuanian Criminal Law], in: Osteuroparecht 2013, p. 90. Atsižvelgimas į užsienio valstybės teismo apkaltinamąjį nuosprendį nagrinėjant naują baudžiamąją bylą Lietuvoje [Taking into Account the Criminal Judgement of the Court of a Foreign Country in the New Criminal Proceedings in Lithuania], Teisės problemos, 2018/1 (95), p. 5. Baudžiamieji įstatymai, galioję okupuotoje Lietuvoje 1940-1990 metais [Criminal Laws, which were in Force in the Occupied Lithuania from 1940 till 1990];  in: Lietuvos teisė 1918-2018 m.: šimtmečio patirtis, red. Sinkevičius, V.; Jakulevičienė, L, Vilnius, 2018. Baudžiamosios teisės mokslas sovietinės okupacijos laikotarpiu [Doctrine of Criminal Law in the Period of the Soviet Occupation], in: Lietuvos teisė 1918-2018 m.: šimtmečio patirtis, red. Sinkevičius, V.; Jakulevičienė, L, Vilnius, 2018.

News from the research center

Event
20.04.2026 | Brussels

Militärische KI verantwortungsvoll nutzen und Regulierung neu denken

Panel Discussion, Lecture

Künstliche Intelligenz findet im Militär immer breiteren Einsatz, von Logistik und Training über Missionsplanung und Zielidentifikation bis hin zu autonomen Waffensystemen. Gleichzeitig wächst die Bedeutung von Mikroprozessoren immer stärker, der Zugang zu seltenen Erden und Chips wird zur zentralen Ressource. KI kann das Kampfgeschehen beschleunigen und damit destabilisierend wirken. Der Wettlauf um neue Fähigkeiten birgt jedoch auch Eskalationsrisiken. Wir laden Sie ein, diese Themen im nächsten Crisis Talk gemeinsam mit unseren hochkarätigen Podiumsgästen zu diskutieren.

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Event
28./29.05.2026 | Frankfurt am Main

Global Health Justice: Principles and Practice

Conference

Following the research focus of the Global Health Justice Postdoctoral Programme, the "Global Health Justice: Principles and Practice" conference places a particular emphasis on themes such as the human right to health, political activism and health justice issues, and problems of structural injustice and vulnerable populations in health care. Keynote lectures by Jonathan Wolff and Kanchana Mahadevan.

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Publication
26.03.2026 | Monograph

The Cambridge History of Latin American Law in Global Perspective

Duve, Thomas; Herzog, Tamar (eds.): The Cambridge History of Latin American Law in Global Perspective, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2024 (portugiesisch 2025; spanisch 2026).

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Publication
26.03.2026 | Monograph

Rechtsgeschichte des frühneuzeitlichen Hispanoamerika

Duve, Thomas; Egío, José Luis  (2023): Rechtsgeschichte des frühneuzeitlichen Hispanoamerika, Berlin: De Gruyter, 2023.

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Event
18.04.2026 | Frankfurt am Main

Das Prinzip Donald Trump und die Verrohung der Welt

Panel Discussion, Lecture

Ein neuer Politikstil macht international Karriere. Er ist gekennzeichnet von Vulgarität, Verrohung und erklärter Rechtsfeindschaft. Machtinteressen werden nicht mehr juristisch bemäntelt. Stattdessen wird das angebliche Recht des Stärkeren zur Staatsdoktrin gemacht – innenpolitisch wie außenpolitisch. Treibende Kraft hinter dieser Verrohung der politischen Sitten ist ein US-Präsident, der nicht nur die amerikanische Gesellschaft und Kultur, sondern auch die globale Ordnung nach seinen Vorstellungen und Interessen umgestaltet. Die Römerberggespräche wollen diesen Politikstil verstehen.

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Event
14.07.2026 | Frankfurt am Main

Democracy Over Time and the Climate Crisis

Lecture Series

Vortrag von Anja Karnein (Binghamton). Die Vortragsreihe untersucht Fragen der Klimakrise als Herausforderungen für demokratische Gesellschaften und konzentriert sich auf Themen wie politische Legitimität, Widerstand gegen fossile Brennstoffe und die Interessen künftiger Generationen. Sie wird organisiert von Prof. Dr. Darrel Moellendorf und Dr. Lukas Sparenborg.

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Event
10.06.2026 | Frankfurt am Main

Capital Investment, Inequality, and State Power in a Time of Climate Emergency

Lecture, Lecture Series

The lecture series examines questions of the climate crisis as challenges for democratic
societies and focuses on issues of political legitimacy, fossil fuel resistance, and the interests
of future generations.

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Event
13.05.2026 | Frankfurt am Main

Failed States and Cloudy skies: Tipping Points, Overshoot and Permanent Emergency, after America

Lecture Series

The lecture series examines questions of the climate crisis as challenges for democratic
societies and focuses on issues of political legitimacy, fossil fuel resistance, and the interests
of future generations.

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Event
22.04.2026

Political Legitimacy, Authoritarianism, and Climate Change

Lecture, Lecture Series

Lecture by Ross Mittiga (SOAS London). The lecture series examines questions of the climate crisis as challenges for democratic societies and focuses on issues of political legitimacy, fossil fuel resistance, and the interests of future generations. It is organized by Prof. Dr. Darrel Moellendorf and Dr. Lukas Sparenborg.

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