International Criminal Law

This photo taken on September 16, 2022, shows the tree used to beat children to death in the former Khmer Rouge prison camp at the Choeung Ek killing fields memorial in Phnom Penh. Mementos such as beads and candles hang from the tree and surround the base, and a sign at the base of the tree says, “Killing tree against which executioners beat children.” Cambodia's UN-backed court set up to try Khmer Rouge leaders ends its work on September 22, but with just three convictions after 16 years' work the tribunal has brought only limited solace to survivors of the genocidal regime. (Photo by TANG CHHIN SOTHY/AFP via Getty Images)

On Crimes Against Humanity, Protect the UN Sixth Committee’s Integrity With Action

The process and the International Law Commission risk irrelevance if the well-supported Draft Articles do not progress to the next phase.

Sep. 22, 2022 Leila Nadya Sadat and Akila Radhakrishnan

Wide view of the United Nations General Assembly Hall

The Case for Creating an International Tribunal to Prosecute the Crime of Aggression Against Ukraine (Part I)

Launching a new high-level series on an international criminal tribunal for Putin’s aggression against Ukraine and the role of the United Nations General Assembly.

Sep. 20, 2022 Oona A. Hathaway

Muslim Uyghurs hold pictures of their relatives detained in China during a press conference in Istanbul, on May 10, 2022. The signs behind them say "Close the Chinese Concentration Camps" and "Rescue Our Families From Camps." Turkey's Uyghur community urged UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet to probe so-called "re-education camps" during a long-delayed visit to China that month, including to Xingjiang, where Western lawmakers have accused Beijing of genocide and crimes against humanity. Bachelet subsequently released her report on Aug. 31. (Photo by OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images)

A UN Report Implicates the Chinese Government in Crimes Against Humanity. What Comes Next?

Governments and UN bodies must act swiftly to hold the Chinese government accountable and protect those who are speaking out.

Sep. 8, 2022 Sophie Richardson

A Crisis of Justice for Afghan Victims of War

Afghan citizens are denied justice at every level - from domestic impunity for Taliban crimes to international impunity for abuses by coalition forces. A clarion call from the…

Aug. 31, 2022 Shaharzad Akbar

Ukraine's then-Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova (C) gestures as she speaks to Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Britain's Karim Khan (R). They walk together in cold weather clothes, in a crowd of armed soldiers and fellow investigators, outside a church looming in the background. The Ukrainian prosecutor wears a ballcap with the Ukrainian flag on it. A soldier in the foreground holds a rifle pointed at the muddy ground. The image is from a visit to a mass grave on the grounds of the Church of Saint Andrew in Bucha, on the outskirts of Kyiv, on April 13, 2022, amid Russia's military invasion launched on Ukraine. (Photo by FADEL SENNA/AFP via Getty Images)

The War in Ukraine and the Legitimacy of the International Criminal Court

Atrocities following the Russian invasion highlight the urgency of international justice - and underscore the need to fully and consistently fund the Court.

Aug. 30, 2022 Yvonne Dutton and Milena Sterio

Let’s Talk About Compliance with International Humanitarian Law

What the empirics say about how States and non-State actors actually behave on the battlefield and under what conditions their compliance with humanitarian law changes.

Aug. 24, 2022 Ezequiel Heffes

An elderly man pushes a cart in front of destroyed buildings leveled by Russian missile strikes in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Wrecked materials, as well as a car, surround the man.

Justice for the Crime of Aggression Today, Deterrence for the Aggressive Wars of Tomorrow: A Ukrainian Perspective

Accountability for the crime of aggression against Ukraine is necessary for both justice today and deterrence tomorrow.

Aug. 24, 2022 Gaiane Nuridzhanian

A Rohingya refugee child carries water to her temporary shelter days after a fire burnt their home at a refugee camp in Ukhia, in the southeastern Cox's Bazar district on March 25, 2021. (Photo by Munir Uz zaman / AFP) (Photo by MUNIR UZ ZAMAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Next Steps on the Road to Accountability and Security for Rohingya Refugees

The path forward for Rohingya refugees is complicated, but not impossible. A community leader outlines what's needed: humanitarian aid, international justice, and resettlement…

Jul. 22, 2022 Tun Khin

Genocide Determinations and Ukraine: A Q&A with Fmr. Ambassador Todd Buchwald

Former U.S. Amb. for Global Criminal Justice explains the legal and policy considerations for determining a genocide has occurred (or is underway) and examines the potential consequences.

Jun. 14, 2022 Todd Buchwald

About eight people stand to one side of a memorial with flowers, balloons, and chalk names.

Beyond a “Hate Crime”: “Replacement” Rhetoric and the Genocide Worry

Judge Chile Eboe-Osuji, former President of the International Criminal Court, analyzes "replacement theory"-motivated killings through lens of international law on genocide.

May 31, 2022 Chile Eboe-Osuji

How Best to Fund the International Criminal Court

The US won’t be able to join its allies in helping fund the ICC if Congress or Executive Branch earmarks the funds only for Ukraine investigation.

May 27, 2022 Ryan Goodman

A black and white photo of a UN chamber showing delegates convened for the 12 April 1974 Second Session of the Committee on the Question of Defining Aggression, United Nations Headquarters, New York. Photo: United Nations Audiovisual Library of International Law.

Using the 1933 Soviet Definition of Aggression to Condemn Russia Today

Putin has tried to reinterpret or delegitimize "aggression" to permit his attack on Ukraine – but the very definition of aggression, and its prohibition, can be traced to a pre-WWII…

May 24, 2022 Kathryn Sikkink