International Courts
753 Articles

New Development in Palestinian bid to Join International Criminal Court
Reports this week indicate that the Hamas leadership has signed a pledge to support any move by the Palestinian Authority to become a state party to the International Criminal…

How to Prosecute the Perpetrators of the Malaysian Jet Downing
The Dutch government has opened a criminal investigation of the downing of Malaysia flight 17, and President Obama has pledged that the U.S. will assist the Dutch to bring those…

In Advance of Activating The Crime of Aggression
I had the pleasure of participating in an Interactive Panel Discussion on the crime of aggression at the United Nations yesterday on the occasion of International Justice Day (so…

British Government’s “Fast-Track” Surveillance Legislation Proposals
On July 10, Theresa May, the Home Secretary made an oral statement in the House of Commons introducing “fast track legislation” – the Data Retention and Investigatory Powers…

Immunity Before the African Court of Justice & Human & Peoples Rights—The Potential Outlier
As is clear from our prior coverage of the issue, the availability of jurisdictional or defensive immunities is ever-present in discussions of how to ensure accountability for…

European Court of Human Rights Rules on Amnesty and Double Jeopardy
On May 27th, the European Court of Human Rights ruled on one of the more contentious issues in the international criminal law and transitional justice sphere; namely whether political…

Title 18’s Blind Spot: Superior Responsibility
We have discussed at length the ability of the United States government to prosecute international crimes in terms of chargeable crimes and bases of jurisdiction. Ryan Goodman…

What is to be Gained from Pursuing Accountability Now in Syria?
Beth Van Schaack’s recent posts (see here, here, and here) on the proposed Syria hybrid tribunal prompted an astute response from Rianne Letschert: @BethVanSchaack @janethanderson…

A Mixed Chamber for Syria: An Idea Whose Time Has Come?
As we have discussed in a prior post and in the press, the international community must think creatively about how to build an accountability mechanism for Syria that does not—at…

Options for Accountability in Syria
The Security Council is poised today to vote on a resolution referring the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court (ICC). This would be the third such referral following…

Backgrounder: Preliminary Examination into Abuses by United Kingdom Personnel in Iraq
As we reported earlier, the ICC Office of the Prosecutor has reopened the preliminary examination into crimes committed by United Kingdom personnel in Iraq from 2003-2008 during…

ICC Prosecutor Reopens Preliminary Examination of Alleged Crimes by UK Soldiers in Iraq
Today in a press release, the Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) of the ICC announced that ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda has decided to reopen the preliminary investigation into alleged…