Universal Jurisdiction

× Clear Filters
62 Articles
Omaima A, the widow of high-ranking Islamic State member Denis Cuspert, arrives for the first day of her trial on May 4, 2020 in Hamburg, Germany.

A Lost Phone Brings a Female ISIS Returnee to Trial for Crimes Against Humanity

Almost six years have passed since the genocide against the Yazidis, an ethno-religious minority group in Northern Iraq, and one of the first trials against a female ISIS returnee…
Syrians sell vegetables next to buildings heavily damaged and collapsing from Syria's civil war, in the central city of Homs, on April 28, 2020 as Muslims mark the holy month of Ramadan.

Accountability in the Time of COVID-19: Syria & Iraq

The coronavirus crisis has dominated the global news coverage, but the war in Syria has not gone away. The ceasefire brokered by Turkey and Russia in March 2020 remains fragile,…
An Iraqi Yezidi woman holds a placard with a picture of victims of the 2014 invasion of their region by the Islamic State (IS) group, a day ahead of commemorations at the Temple of Lalish, in a valley near the Kurdish city of Dohuk, about 430km northwest of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, on August 2, 2019. The placard reads, “ 3-8-2014 #StopYazidiGenocide”

First Yazidi Genocide Trial Commences in Germany

On April 24, 2020, six years after the Islamic State (IS) began persecuting and exterminating the Yazidi, the first ever trial addressing genocide against the religious minority…
Demonstrators holds up placards and banners while demonstrating, asking for Yahya Jammeh, the former President of the Gambia, to be brought to justice, in Banjul on January 25, 2020. One of the signs says, "No Place for Enforced Disappearance in Gambia."

Senators Call for Prosecution of Gambian Paramilitary Fighter in US Custody

Rare opportunity to criminally prosecute a person implicated in extremely grave human rights abuses in a U.S. court.
EU Commissioner for migration and home affairs, Dimitris Avramopoulos, speaks during his visit at Europol in The Hague on June 28, 2018.

Domestic Courts Step Up: Justice for Syria One Case at a Time

Further to Ryan Goodman’s recent post on the United States’ welcome support for the German request for the extradition of a high-level Syrian suspect, I have just finished…
International Law Commission holds special commemorative event.

Letter to the Editor – Germany’s Extradition Request for Gen. Jamil Hassan, with U.S. Support

I very much appreciate Just Security’s bringing to your readers’ attention the German extradition request to Lebanon for Syria’s General Jamil Hassan, who is under suspicion…
Committee Chairman Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA) (C) speaks as Syrian Army defector "Caesar," who has smuggled out of Syria more than 50,000 photographs that document the torture and execution of more than 10,000 dissidents, listens through an interpreter during a briefing before House Foreign Affairs Committee July 31, 2014 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Photos in the background show disturbing images of the torture and deaths.

BREAKING: United States Supports Germany’s International Arrest Warrant for Accused Syrian War Criminal

"On Tuesday, the United States government issued a statement supporting Germany’s request to Lebanon to extradite a high-ranking Syrian official accused of war crimes and crimes…

Syria Found Liable for the Death of War Correspondent Marie Colvin

Judge Amy Berman Jackson, of the D.C. District Court, has unsealed a $302 million judgment against the Syrian Arab Republic, finding it liable for the assassination of intrepid…
Rwandan Hutu rebel Ignace Murwanashyaka (C) of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) showing a declaration flanked by Baptiste Koneza (R) and Christophe Hakizabero (L) at the Sant'Egidio religious community headquarter in Rome.

A Congo War Crimes Decision: What It Means for Universal Jurisdiction Litigation in Germany and Beyond

The German Federal Court of Justice, the country's court of last resort in criminal and private law, recently announced its much-anticipated decision in a Congo War Crimes case.…
A man walks up the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court on January 31, 2017.

International Law Roundup: Part III

In addition to discussing developments at the international criminal tribunals, addressed in Parts I and II of this series, the IHL Dialogs also offered insights into human rights…
The ICC's flag, a white set of scales against a light blue background is shown.

Can the Int’l Criminal Court Try US Officials?–The Theory of “Delegated Jurisdiction” and Its Discontents (Part I)

This backgrounder covers the key issues of jurisdiction now that the Court is set to open an investigation that may cover alleged torture by US officials.

Libya’s Haftar and Liability of Superiors: Ordering Offenses v. Responsibility for Omissions

Further to Just Security’s coverage on Tuesday of the potential war crimes liability of U.S citizen/Libyan warlord General Khalifa Haftar, this article discusses the distinction…
1-12 of 62 items

DON'T MISS A THING. Stay up to date with Just Security curated newsletters: