Accountability
352 Articles
The Supreme Court Just Made It Easier to Conceal Abuse of Migrant Detainees
The U.S. Supreme Court has reversed a half-century of precedent on citizens’ rights to know what their government is doing, by making it more difficult for the public to probe…
Is Justice the Antidote to Sexual Violence in Conflict? Why Amal Clooney is Only Half Right
While many survivors of sexual violence do want accountability, it isn’t always their first priority, particularly when boiled down to prosecutions and disconnected from their…
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.
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,…
What to Make of the Pentagon’s Internal Civilian Casualties Review, and What Comes Next
Breaking analysis of a new Department of Defense report on civilian casualties in the CENTCOM and AFRICOM areas of operation from 2015-2017: the key takeaways, major gaps, and…
Accountability Fatigue: A Human Rights Law Problem for Armed Forces?
Brigadier-General (ret.) Ken Watkin in conversation with General (ret.) David Petraeus' remarks about human rights law and military policies.
What Happened in North Carolina: The State’s Role in U.S. Post-9/11 Rendition and Torture
The North Carolina Commission of Inquiry on Torture (NCCIT) released its 83-page final report this week on the state’s role in U.S. post-9/11 rendition and torture. Drawing…
Why John Bolton vs. Int’l Criminal Court 2.0 is Different from Version 1.0
"This time around, the consequences for the court and the rule of law in the world will likely be far graver, and the return to a constructive relationship with the ICC in the…
Three Options for Prosecuting a President’s Offences—Plus a Wildcard
The President can be criminally prosecuted, but it’s far from clear when or how. Two paths are open to federal prosecutors and one for state Attorneys General.
US Military Admits It Killed Dozens More Civilians Than Previously Acknowledged. Now What?
In June and July, the US-led Coalition of countries fighting the armed group calling itself the Islamic State admitted that reports of civilian casualties it had previously dismissed…
Peter Strzok’s Firing Gives the Bureau a Chance to Reset
Former senior FBI official provides a counterweight to the emerging public narrative that this decision resulted from external political pressure on the Department.
To Be a True Reformer, Ethiopia’s Abiy Must Commit to Human Rights Accountability
From his historic overture to Eritrea to his unprecedented opening of the Ethiopian economy, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of Ethiopia has branded himself as a reformer since assuming…