Crimes Against Humanity

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Protesters wearing traditional Shan dress hold signs as they take part in a demonstration on boats against the Myanmar military coup in Inle lake, Shan state on February 11, 2021. One boat carries people holding letters spelling out, “Get out dictators.”

Beyond the Coup in Myanmar: The Need for an Inclusive Accountability

The Feb. 1 coup made it clear that when it comes to maintaining its grip on power, the Tatmadaw does not discriminate. The brutality with which it has consistently engaged with…
Spent bullet casings are seen lying on the ground near the spot where Chit Min Thu, 25, was killed in clashes on March 11, 2021 in Yangon, Myanmar.

Beyond the Coup in Myanmar: A Crisis Born from Impunity

The roots of the coup can be found both domestically, in the 2008 Constitution, and in the failure of the international community to hold Myanmar's military to account.
An aerial picture shows mourners gathering around coffins wrapped with the Iraqi flag during a mass funeral for Yazidi victims of the Islamic State (IS) group in the northern Iraqi village of Kojo in Sinjar district, on February 6, 2021.

Yazidis Deserve Justice for Genocide: How Biden’s Team Can Lead the Way

Amal Clooney pens an article based off a speech delivered at the United Nations.
Indonesian police wearing face masks and carrying large guns guard the site of an ASEAN emergency meeting on Myanmar on April 24, 2021 in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Beyond the Coup in Myanmar: The ASEAN Way Must Change

The regional bloc has long adopted a non-interventionist stance in the name of regional stability. But the Myanmar coup shows how this stance actually undermines stability - and…
Police in full riot gear including weapons, shields, helmets and face masks hold their firearms as they approach protesters during a demonstration against the military coup in Naypyidaw on March 8, 2021. Only the back of the protestors’ heads are visible in this image.

Do Economic Sanctions in Response to Gross Human Rights Abuses Do Any Good?

Sanctions on both Myanmar and China, for example, can have an impact in mitigating abuses, albeit in different ways.
A person lays roses over the portraits of victims during a memorial to commemorate the 1915 Armenian mass killings on April 24, 2018 in Istanbul, Turkey.

Recognizing the Armenian Genocide Marks a Historic Turning Point in American Foreign Policy

In a significant break with his predecessors, President Joe Biden formally recognized the Armenian Genocide on April 24, the annual day of remembrance for the massacres.
A war memorial at Jaffna University before it was demolished, in Jaffna. The memorial is a statue of hands reaching toward the sky coming out of a pile of rubble.

UN Human Rights Council Outlines Sri Lanka Abuses, But Demurs on Action

It’s not the robust independent mechanism victims campaigned for, or the referral to the ICC that they deserve, but it is a potential path to justice.
A Bosnian Muslim woman cries between graves of her father, two grandfathers and other close relatives, all victims of Srebrenica genocide, July 10, 2020, at the cemetery in Potocari near Srebrenica, Bosnia and Hercegovina.

Changing the Narrative on Atrocity Prevention

If the story about atrocity prevention could be reframed so as to categorize it as a “hard” national security objective, it might be possible to help move the issue of atrocity…
Sri Lanka's President Gotabaya Rajapakse and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse, neither who wear face masks, are surrounded by others, many who wear face masks, as they leave the new cabinet swearing-in ceremony at the Buddhist Temple of the Tooth in the ancient hill capital of Kandy, some 116 km from Colombo on August 12, 2020.

When War Criminals Run the Government: Not Too Late for the International Community to Vet Sri Lankan Officials

Developing such a list of individuals would signal to survivors some measure of recognition of the atrocities they have suffered.
Sri Lanka Army Commander Shavendra Silva reviewing troops headed to Mali as U.N. peacekeepers on Nov. 6, 2019, at the at the Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment (VIR) Headquarters at Boyagane, Sri Lanka.

UN Should Suspend Sri Lanka from Peacekeeping Over Human Rights Abuses

The government has failed in its international obligations to investigate and prosecute crimes, and has promoted alleged war criminals to high levels.
A police personnel wearing a face mask crosses a street on foot as military personnel on motorcycles ride in lines toward him as they take part in a rehearsal for the Independence Day Parade in Colombo on February 3, 2021.

Highlighting Sri Lanka’s Abuses to the UN in Reviews and Strategic Litigation

The Human Rights Council should build on the documentation and advocacy NGOs have done over the years to encourage accountability for gross violations.
People gather to watch the verdict of Dominic Ongwen, a former child soldier-turned-commander for the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), on a projector screen in Gulu, Uganda, on February 4, 2021.

Truth, Justice, and the Narrative in International Criminal Law

International courts are inherently expressive: they provide a platform for a multitude of narratives. But recently, some prosecutorial narratives have begun to dominate in International…
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