Civitas Maxima is founded on the conviction that victims of international crimes must hold the keys to their own quest for justice.

Our Vision

A world where all forgotten victims of international crimes have access to fair and impartial justice mechanisms, and perpetrators are held accountable.

Our Mission

Civitas Maxima facilitates the documentation of international crimes, and pursues the redress of such crimes on behalf of victims who do not have access to justice, by: 

(i) collaborating with and building the capacity of local grass-roots partners to document crimes in the state where those crimes were committed; 

(ii) coordinating a network of investigators and lawyers to help victims gain access to justice and hold perpetrators accountable before foreign domestic or international courts and tribunals, however, whenever and wherever possible;

(iii) generating awareness and informed debate around victims’ cases, with a view to empowering local communities to pursue their own quests for justice.

Our Name

Civitas Maxima – Together against international crimes.

Due to their scale and intensity, international crimes not only violate individual victims’ rights but also touch the humanity in all of us. In this context, the Latin term civitas maxima – which can be translated as ‘greatest citizenry’ – represents a call to do together, as citizens of the world, what we can to ensure justice for international crimes.

Based on the deeply held belief that there are no ‘others,’ Civitas Maxima envisages a global cooperation between victims, independent lawyers and investigators, and officials from state authorities regardless of nationality, ethnicity, political or religious affiliation, or other exclusionary factors.

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Blog & Press Releases

The Samson Effect: the Strength of Justice is in the Voices of Victims

The Samson Effect: the Strength of Justice is in the Voices of Victims The legend of Samson is known to many: in the biblical Book of Judges, the secret to Samson’s prodigious strength lay in his hair. When it was cut off, he was powerless and physically unremarkable. In criminal accountability, the voice and role […]

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Towards A New Crescendo

The plaintiffs were four survivors of the ruthless mass killing at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church on 29 July 1990. The church, adorned with Red Cross and UN flags, served as a shelter while it continued its religious services before it became the site of an inhumane massacre.

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In Coppet, A Crime Against Humanity

In Coppet, A Crime Against Humanity The People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI), which played a major role in the opposition to the Shah’s regime, was subjected to a brutal repression organized by the new mullahs’ regime shortly after the fall of the Shah in 1979. Under the aegis of Ayatollah Khomeini, the suppression of […]

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