International Justice
1,085 Articles

ICC Holds Historic Hearing on U.S. Torture and Other Grave Crimes in Afghanistan
While “high crimes and misdemeanors” dominated the news cycle in Washington this month, the focus in The Hague was on grave crimes and mistreatment. Just days before the International…

Why the Settlements are a Problem for Benjamin Netanyahu
Despite the new U.S. position that West Bank settlements are not "per se" illegal, international accountability for Israeli settlement activity remains a real possibility.

Boochani’s Tribunal: Normalizing Human Degradation at Borders
A complaint to the ICC on Australia's detention practices highlights a very clear risk that this precedent represents an emerging global normalcy of human degradation when it comes…

Next Steps in Liberia’s Long Quest for Justice, 10 Years After Commission Report
A full decade after Liberia's Truth and Reconciliation Commission recommended establishment of a war crimes court to seek justice for atrocities during the country's 14 years of…

Accountability for Crimes Against the Rohingya Being Pressed on Multiple Fronts
By any measure, last week was a banner one when it comes to moving towards accountability for crimes against the Rohingya in Myanmar. The week started with The Gambia filing a…

ISIS Suspect Transfers to Iraq Replete with Risks
Despite well-documented concerns, some European States appear to be negotiating the transfer of thousands of foreign ISIS suspects to Iraq.

Northeastern Syria: Complex Criminal Law in a Complicated Battlespace
Regardless of which countries try which members of ISIS, the international community needs to begin taking more decisive action if it is serious about bringing members of ISIS…

Suit Against Sri Lankan Presidential Candidate Rajapaksa Dismissed on Common Law Immunity Grounds
Among other deficiencies, the ruling failed to acknowledge jurisprudence from other courts indicating that jus cogens violations can never constitute “official” acts entitling…

Sri Lankan War Criminal Gotabaya Rajapaksa May Escape Accountability Yet Again, This Time by Running for President
Recent developments in a pair of human rights cases in U.S. federal court against former Sri Lankan Defense Minister and current presidential hopeful Gotabaya (“Gota”) Rajapakse…

On a President’s Orders: New Frontline Docs Look at Duterte and MBS
In the Philippines, President Rodrigo Duterte isn’t pulling the trigger every time a drug dealer or drug user is killed by the police. Similarly, when Saudi journalist Jamal…

What if a President Committed Genocide or Other Atrocity Crimes?
Ambassador David Scheffer writes: Whether or not the Justice Department opinions are correct about presidential immunity from indictment for ordinary crimes … Lawmakers should…

Why the ICC’s Judgment in the al-Bashir Case Wasn’t So Surprising
A look at why the Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Court made the right decision when it decided Jordan should have arrested then-Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir…