International Justice

Judges Walid Akoum, Janet Nosworthy, David Re, Micheline Braidy and Nicola Lettier preside over the first hearing in the trial of four people accused of murdering former Lebanese premier Rafiq Hariri at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon in The Hague on January 16, 2014.

Special Tribunal for Lebanon is Set to Issue Historic Ruling on the Assassination of PM Hariri

The Special Tribunal for Lebanon will release its long-awaited judgment in the case involving the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri. The verdict, set to…

Aug. 17, 2020 Beth Van Schaack

A member of the Syrian Civil Defence (The White Helmet) checks the rubble and debris at a medical centre following reported shelling by the Syrian government, in the Syrian town of Hbeit in the southern countryside of the rebel-held Idlib province on April 30, 2019.

Bashar al-Assad is Criminally Responsible for Syria’s COVID-19 Crisis

Syrians who die as a result of the inaccessibility to treatment or protection against COVID-19 may also result in criminal responsibility.

Aug. 5, 2020 Roger Lu Phillips and Layla Abi-Falah

Exterior view of the International Criminal Court on July 20, 2018 in The Hague, Netherlands.

Exploring Some Limitations to the ICC’s Ability to Charge US Officials with Contempt

"One potential method by which to explore the possibility of disincentivizing measures by non-member states to frustrate the institutional independence of the ICC is to consider…

Aug. 5, 2020 Brian L. Cox

Karen ethnic people hold posters and shout slogans during a protest against Myanmar Army for the allegedly arbitrary killings, raping, shelling and for the removal of the army camps, at Hpapun in Kayin State on July 28, 2020.

Leveraging International Justice for Lasting Peace in Myanmar

"The international community clearly has a political role to play, but a closer examination of how international accountability relates to domestic political dynamics is also critical,…

Aug. 4, 2020 Katherine Southwick

Chin people hold placards during a protest asking for an end to conflict in Chin state and Rakhin State in Yangon on July 13, 2019.

Implications of the Myanmar ICJ and ICC Cases for Non-Rohingya Minorities

(Editors Note: This article is the fourth and final piece of a special Just Security forum on the ongoing Gambia v. Myanmar litigation at the International Court of Justice and…

Jul. 31, 2020 Grant Shubin

The ICC seal on a window at the International Criminal Court Building in The Hague. The windows act as mirrors, reflecting more of the ICC complex across from it.

Can the International Criminal Court Hold the Trump Administration in Contempt?

On June 11, President Donald Trump issued an executive order authorizing the imposition of sanctions targeting International Criminal Court officials. This article assesses the…

Jul. 30, 2020 Uzay Yasar Aysev

Protesters from the East Turkistan National Awakening Movement (ETNAM) hold a demonstration in front of the World Bank's Headquarters in Washington DC, on December 20, 2019, to protest the World Banks $50 Million Funding of Chinese Vocational Training Centers where Uyghurs are being held involuntarily.

U.S. and Multilateral Policy Options to Address Abuses Against Uyghurs in Xinjiang

(Editor’s Note: This is the second of two articles discussing human rights violations against China’s Uyghur population. The first article, by Lisa Reinsberg, discusses the…

Jul. 30, 2020 Connor O'Steen

United Nations Security Council delegates arrive at Sittwe airport on May 1, 2018 to meet with Myanmar officials and to inspect the latest situation in Rakhine state, home of the minority Rohingya Muslims.

The Rohingya Genocide and the ICJ: The Role of the International Community

(Editors Note: This article is part of a special Just Security forum on the ongoing Gambia v. Myanmar litigation at the International Court of Justice and ways forward.) When it…

Jul. 28, 2020 Nadira Kourt

Negotiating Racial Injustice: How International Criminal Law Helps Entrench Structural Inequality

The ICC ... exists through an international treaty that represents a negotiated settlement structured to protect the interests of economically powerful states. This political-juridical…

Jul. 24, 2020 Kamari Maxine Clarke

People watch the ICJ hearing at a restaurant in a Rohingya refugee camp on January 23, 2020 in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh.

Myanmar and the ICJ: Ways Forward

In August 2017, Myanmar’s military carried out a brutal campaign of murder, rape and other abuses against the country’s Rohingya Muslims. These so-called “clearance operations”…

Jul. 23, 2020 Grant Shubin

Released Rohingya child prisoners wearing face masks stand in a line as they arrive in Sittwe jetty in Rakhine State after being transported by military boat on April 20, 2020.

What Myanmar Is and Is Not Doing to Protect Rohingyas from Genocide

In August 2017, the desperate plight of Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslims grabbed headlines when the military’s brutal campaign of murder, rape and other abuses forced more than 740,000…

Jul. 23, 2020 Param-Preet Singh

The Caesar Sanctions Help Reinforce Norms Enshrined in International Law

Raising questions about the potential harmful effects of sanctions on civilians is an honorable task. As is ensuring that the sanctions meted out by the United States are backed…

Jul. 21, 2020 Sana Sekkarie