International Criminal Law

The defendant, former Syrian intelligence officer Anwar Raslan, 58 years old, stands in a courtroom on his day to be sentenced. He has his covid protection mask off and wears a green jacket and cream colored jersey. He stands next to two individuals in dark blue suits.. In the front of the image is the back of a officer with the word "Justice" on a bulletproof vest.

A German Sentence of Life Imprisonment for Crimes Against Humanity – A Small Measure of Justice for Syria

Unpacking a landmark conviction for war crimes in Syria.

Jan. 14, 2022 Claus Kress

Image: Left - MONROVIA, LIBERIA – AUGUST 6, 2003: Hundreds of shell casings litter the ground in Monrovia, Liberia, as negotiators try to reach a ceasefire in the country’s brutal civil war. (Chris Hondros/Getty Images) Right - Syrian defendant Anwar R., 57, arrives at court for an unprecedented trial on state-sponsored torture in Syria, on April 23, 2020 at court in Koblenz, western Germany. Prime suspect Anwar R., an alleged former colonel in Syrian state security, stands accused of carrying out crimes against humanity while in charge of the Al-Khatib detention centre in Damascus between April 29, 2011 and September 7, 2012. (Photo by Thomas Lohnes / various sources / AFP). EDITORS NOTE: According to court's ruling, the face of the defendant must be made unrecognizable

From Syria Torture Trial to Liberian Massacre Case – A Plea for Bolstering Witness Protections in Human Rights Litigation

Witness testimony was key in reaching today's conviction of a former Syrian intelligence official for crimes against humanity. But the testimony placed witnesses and victims at…

Jan. 13, 2022 Alyssa Yamamoto

A view of the entrance to the Court of Cassation (Cour de cassation), one of France's courts of last resort having jurisdiction over all matters triable, is pictured on March 21, 2017, on Ils de la Cite, an island in the River Sein in central Paris . (Photo by THOMAS SAMSON / AFP) (Photo credit should read THOMAS SAMSON/AFP via Getty Images)

France Is Not a Safe Haven for Human Rights Abusers – Despite High Court Opinion

The French high court struck a blow against universal jurisdiction recently - but the decision need not doom future cases.

Dec. 9, 2021 Roger Lu Phillips and Aweiss Al Dobouch

Syrian campaigner Wafa Mustafa sits among pictures of victims of the Syrian regime as she holds a photo of her father, during a protest outside a trial of two Syrian alleged former intelligence officers accused for crimes against humanity, in the first trial of its kind to emerge from the Syrian conflict, on June 4, 2020 in Koblenz, western Germany. Wafa was part of the resistance against the Syrian government and had to flee Syria when her father was arrested. She came to Germany in 2016. (Photo by THOMAS LOHNES/AFP via Getty Images)

Crimes Against Humanity: Little Progress on Treaty as UN Legal Committee Concludes its Work

Despite a majority of States favoring a clear mandate and timeline to discuss the draft in the next year, a few countries essentially exercised vetoes.

Dec. 7, 2021 Leila Nadya Sadat and Akila Radhakrishnan

WEST BANK - APRIL 21, 2003: View of the concrete separation wall between the Palestinian city of Tol Karem and Israel, April 21, 2003. (Photo by Shaul Schwarz/ Getty Images)

Preliminary but Necessary: The Question of the Applicability of the Notion of Apartheid to Occupied Territory

Does the prohibition of apartheid apply to occupied territory? Marco Longobardo analyzes how laws of war, human rights, occupation, and against racial discrimination intersect.…

Dec. 2, 2021 Marco Longobardo

Colombian President Ivan Duque (L) and International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan exchange signed agreements between the national government and the International Criminal Court at the Nariño presidential palace in Bogota, on October 28, 2021. (Photo by JUAN BARRETO/AFP via Getty Images)

Closure for Colombia, New Scrutiny for Venezuela: ICC Investigations in Latin America

Both decisions were controversial but also innovative, and created a new panorama in the region going forward.

Nov. 15, 2021 Naomi Roht-Arriaza

International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan listens to the President of the Special Peace Jurisdiction Eduardo Cifuentes during a press conference in Bogota, October 27, 2021.

Uncertain Future for the ICC’s Investigation into the CIA Torture Program

The ICC Office of the Prosecutor has "deprioritized" investigation of CIA torture in Afghanistan. But Julian Elderfield, a former attorney in the OTP, says the stated reasons for…

Nov. 12, 2021 Julian Elderfield

Sudanese anti-coup protesters carry the portrait of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, ousted by the military, during a gathering in the capital Khartoum's twin city of Omdurman on October 30, 2021, to express their support for the country's democratic transition which a military takeover and deadly crackdown derailed.

Sudanese Send Clear `No’ to Military Coup. What Will Security Forces Do Next?

After mass nonviolent protests, look out for arrests of opponents, prison releases of Islamists, and actions by a key paramilitary unit.

Nov. 1, 2021 Rebecca Hamilton

Residents of Lukodi village, where dozens were killed in 2004 by the Lord's Resistance Army, react as they listen to the International Criminal Court's (ICC's) sentence of Dominic Ongwen, a Ugandan child soldier-turned-Lord's Resistance Army commander, on radio in Lukodi, Uganda, on May 6, 2021. A radio hangs on a tree with a poster regarding the sentencing.

It’s Time To Revisit the United States’ Evolving Posture Toward the Use of Child Soldiers

The U.S played a key role in bringing Dominic Ongwen to justice, but more should be done to stop the use of children in armed conflicts.

Oct. 21, 2021 Chris Moxley

The outside of the building for the Tribunal de Paix de Kalehe. Guards stand in the entryways, some hold guns. A banner hangs over one of the entryways.

Incorporating Digital Technology in the Investigation of International Crimes: Lessons from the Democratic Republic of Congo

Key lessons on incorporating digital evidence of international crimes throughout the justice process and increasing its admissibility in court.

Oct. 14, 2021 Chiara Gabriele, Kelly Matheson and 1 more

A Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) stands among hundreds of shell casings August 6, 2003 in Monrovia, Liberia.

Historic Judgment in Liberian Massacre Case Advances US Law

A landmark case offers justice for victims - and new specificity on TVPA, ATS claims for crimes against humanity and war crimes.

Oct. 11, 2021 Elise Baker, Ela Matthews and 1 more

Relatives and friends attend the funeral of Sonya Gregorio and her son Frank Gregorio on December 27, 2020 in Paniqui, Tarlac province, Philippines. Six people carry a coffin, and banner behind shows their faces and reads, “Justice for Sonia R. Gregorio; Frank Anthony R. Gregorio; Our condolences and sympathy to the bereaved family from Rev. Peter M. Gregorio”

Toward a Treaty on Crimes Against Humanity: A View from the Philippines and a Region of ‘Non-Interference’

Such a convention could help dispel a culture of impunity by reaffirming the gravity of such atrocities and filling gaps left by the Rome Statute.

Oct. 8, 2021 Jenny Domino