International Justice

Renu Begum, eldest sister of Shamima Begum, 15, holds her sister's photo as she is interviewed by the media at New Scotland Yard.

Citizenship-Stripping and ISIS Members: The Recent UK Experience

A framework for understanding when governmental action violates the law against rendering someone stateless. The case of Shamima Begum.

Mar. 11, 2019 Shaheed Fatima K.C.

Committee Chairman Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA) (C) speaks as Syrian Army defector "Caesar," who has smuggled out of Syria more than 50,000 photographs that document the torture and execution of more than 10,000 dissidents, listens through an interpreter during a briefing before House Foreign Affairs Committee July 31, 2014 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Photos in the background show disturbing images of the torture and deaths.

BREAKING: United States Supports Germany’s International Arrest Warrant for Accused Syrian War Criminal

"On Tuesday, the United States government issued a statement supporting Germany’s request to Lebanon to extradite a high-ranking Syrian official accused of war crimes and crimes…

Mar. 6, 2019 Ryan Goodman

St. Peter's Lutheran Church in the Liberian capital Monrovia.

Liberian War Crimes Claims Survive in Alien Tort Statute Case

Victims of human rights abuses abroad scored a win recently, when the U.S. District Court for Eastern Pennsylvania ruled in Jane W. et al. v. Thomas that claims involving war crimes…

Feb. 27, 2019 Ela Matthews, Nushin Sarkarati and 2 more

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir delivers a speech to the nation on February 22, 2019, at the presidential palace in the capital Khartoum.

“Just fall, that is all!” Is Sudan on the Brink of Change?

Sudan has entered the third month of widespread and sustained protests across the country, and there is now some indication that President Omar al-Bashir’s grip on power is weakening.…

Feb. 25, 2019 John Hursh

Syrian child Khaled al-Ghorani lies at a clinic after he had his hand amputated in Kafar Batna in the Syrian rebel enclave of Eastern Ghouta on March 1, 2018 following reported air strikes by Syrian government forces.

New Financial Vehicles for Assisting Victims of Atrocity Crimes: A Bold Move for International Justice

Investing in social bonds can offer new way to fund reparations by judges on the International Criminal Court., writes Ambassador Scheffer.

Feb. 21, 2019 Ambassador David Scheffer

Members of the jury sit in the International Court of Justice in The Hague, The Netherlands, on January 27, 2014 during the judgment on the territorial dispute between Chile and Peru.

World Court Rules on Iran Challenge to US Suits for Acts of Terrorism: An Explainer

Key takeaways from the International Court of Justice's judgment in the case of "Certain Iranian Assets": some of Iran's claims against the U.S. over billions of dollars in terrorism-related…

Feb. 19, 2019 Chimène Keitner

Judges Marc Perrin de Brichambaut, Bertram Schmitt and Raul Pangalangan sit in the courtroom prior to the sentencing of Congolese vice president Jean-Pierre Bemba and his accomplices before the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, The Netherlands, on March 22, 2017.

ICC Judge Schmitt Counsels Resilience to Preserve International Justice

Editor’s note: At a difficult time for the International Criminal Court (ICC)—criticism over recent rulings, resistance from current and prospective members, and threats from…

Feb. 13, 2019 Bertram Schmitt

International Human Rights Unit seal reads, "No Safe Haven - Criminal Investigative Division"

EXCLUSIVE: FBI’s War Crimes Unit on the Chopping Block

The FBI's International Human Rights Unit may be dissolved, according to US officials. Here's why that's a bad idea, writes Beth Van Schaack.

Feb. 10, 2019 Beth Van Schaack

Portraits of victims mark the memorial to the Islamic State (ISIS) massacre of 1,700 Shiite Air Force cadets from Camp Speicher beneath a bridge where victims were shot and their bodies thrown into the Tigris River by the Sunni jihadist group in Tikrit, Iran, on November 10, 2016.

Bringing ISIS to Justice: Running Out of Time?

The international community and key actors in Syria and Iraq need to develop a coherent plan to bring ISIS members to account for war crimes, not just counterterrorism crimes,…

Feb. 5, 2019 Nadim Houry

Syria Found Liable for the Death of War Correspondent Marie Colvin

Judge Amy Berman Jackson, of the D.C. District Court, has unsealed a $302 million judgment against the Syrian Arab Republic, finding it liable for the assassination of intrepid…

Feb. 1, 2019 Beth Van Schaack

The International Criminal Court on January 18, 2019.

The Hidden Danger of User-Generated Evidence for International Criminal Justice

In the summer of 2017, judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) took a remarkable step. For the first time, they issued an arrest warrant based primarily on video footage…

Jan. 23, 2019 Rebecca Hamilton

A man holding a portrait of ousted Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo, flashes the Victory sign on April 30, 2015 in Mama.

The ICC Acquittal of Gbagbo: What Next for Crimes against Humanity?

The International Criminal Court dismissed another case this week, ordering the release of two more defendants accused of serious international crimes. The Court's recent record…

Jan. 18, 2019 Ben Batros