Universal Jurisdiction

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

A view of the supreme court building in Victoria on March 5, 2012. A sign reads “The Judiciary: Supreme Court of Sychelles.” The building is characterized by white brick and dark wooden trimmings.

Amnesty & Accountability in Seychelles

The Seychelles' truth commission has the unusual power to grant - not just recommend - amnesties. What is their status in international law, and role in transitional justice?

Oct. 22, 2021 Justin Loveland

Diane Foley, the mother of slain ISIS hostage James Foley, stands alongside the parents of slain ISIS hostage Kayla Mueller, Carl Mueller and Marsha Mueller, and family members of 2 other slain ISIS hostages, following the guilty pleas by Alexanda Kotey, a member of the notorious Islamic State kidnapping cell dubbed the "Beatles," to charges of conspiring to murder four American hostages, including Mueller and Foley, outside the the US District Court in Alexandria, Virginia, September 2, 2021.

Impact-Based Jurisdiction and Crimes Against Humanity Statutes Are Needed for Effective Accountability

The answer is to fully enact international criminal law at the national level and to provide for its maximum reach.

Sep. 23, 2021 Ambassador Stephen J. Rapp

Iranian President-Elect Ebrahim Raisi holds a press conference at Shahid Beheshti conference hall on June 21, 2021 in Tehran, Iran.

Will Iran’s New President be Held Accountable?

Raisi was directly involved in the summary execution of thousands of political prisoners in 1988. Is there a path to justice today?

Jul. 8, 2021 Gissou Nia

People gather in the courtroom waiting to hear the verdict to Syrian defendant Eyad al-Gharib on February 24, 2021 in Koblenz, western Germany. Some people wear masks, but not all. Clear barriers are set up around each desk station.

A Drop in the Ocean: A Preliminary Assessment of the Koblenz Trial on Syrian Torture

April 23 marks one year since the start of the Syrian torture trial in Koblenz, Germany. It has already offered some preliminary lessons for future “universal jurisdiction”…

Apr. 22, 2021 Roger Lu Phillips

Sri Lankan Army Major General Jagath Dias points to a map where security forces are located during a presentation for Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse, and Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse at the city of Kilinochchi on April 16, 2009.

Universal Jurisdiction — the Most Difficult Path to Achieve Justice for Sri Lanka

The record shows that, if this is the only feasible route to accountability for now, countries will require additional support at the UN level to achieve accountability.

Feb. 24, 2021 Andreas Schüller

Demonstrators participate in a protest against police brutality on June 14, 2020 in Miami, Florida.

Systemic Racist Police Brutality Shocks the Conscience of Humanity, but is it an International Crime?

(Editor’s note: To mark today’s 25th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide in Bosnia, Just Security is publishing two articles. In addition to this piece by Margaret deGuzman…

Jul. 11, 2020 Margaret deGuzman

Exterior View of the new International Criminal Court building in The Hague on July 30, 2016 in The Hague The Netherlands.

Letter to the Editor: There is No Affront to U.S. Sovereignty in the Int’l Criminal Court Investigation

Editor’s Note: This piece is part of Just Security’s ongoing coverage of Executive Order 13928, “Blocking Property of Certain Persons Associated With the International Criminal…

Jul. 2, 2020 Gabor Rona

Left Photo: Syrian defendants Anwar Raslan (L), 57, and Eyad al-Gharib (R), 43, wait in the courtroom before the start of an unprecedented trial on state-sponsored torture in Syria, on April 23, 2020 at court in Koblenz, western Germany. Right Photo: German military in Afghanistan commander Colonel Georg Klein giving an interview to AFP on the September 4, 2009 airstrike carried out by NATO.

A Tale of German Global Criminal Justice: A TWAIL Perspective on the Syrian Torture Trial

A trial against Anwar Raslan and Eyad Al Gharib, two suspected (former) members of President Bashar al-Assad’s security services, began before the Higher Courts in Koblenz, Germany,…

Jun. 30, 2020 Thamil Ananthavinayagan

Syrian defendants Anwar Raslan (L), 57, and Eyad al-Gharib (R), 43, wait in the courtroom before the start of an unprecedented trial on state-sponsored torture in Syria, on April 23, 2020 at court in Koblenz, western Germany.

What Counts as State Practice? The Koblenz Trial and Functional Immunity

The Prosecutor, by commencing proceedings against Raslan and Al Gharib, along with in other cases where arrest warrants against Syrian State officials were issued, has already…

May 27, 2020 Alexandre Skander Galand