Civitas Maxima is founded on the conviction that victims of international crimes must hold the keys to their own quest for justice.
OurVision
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.
Annual Report 2022
Latest Trial Monitoring
Jour 16 – Audition de 3 témoins
Pour cette onzième journée du 26 février 2021, le Tribunal procède à l’audition des témoins MuK, AK et FK. Audition de MuK Le Tribunal a commencé par faire entrer MuK dans la…
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Blog & Press Releases
Alleged former NPFL commander charged in France for crimes against humanity
Alleged former NPFL commander charged in France for crimes against humanity Saturday T. was charged in France on Wednesday 13th September 2023 for his alleged involvement in crimes against humanity committed during the First Liberian Civil War (1989-1996) where he is believed to have been acting as a commander for the National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL). The NPFL, led by Charles Taylor during the First Liberian Civil…
Chopped up with an axe and a heart eaten out: some crimes never die
Chopped up with an axe and a heart eaten out: some crimes never die Exactly 30 years ago, in the summer of 1993, a group of rebel soldiers sowed unheard-of terror in the town of Foya, in the small West African country of Liberia, then ravaged by civil war. Here, 450 kilometers north of the…
For justice in Syria, hope comes from Geneva rather than The Hague
For justice in Syria, hope comes from Geneva rather than The Hague We learned on August 16 from the Geneva-based organization Trial International that the Federal Criminal Court had – in its judgement of July 19, 2022, ordered the Federal Office of Justice (FOJ) to issue an international arrest warrant for the former Syrian Vice-President…
Latest News
- Un ancien militaire libérien placé en détention provisoire en France – RFI
- La justice en Centrafrique, un modèle à suivre? – Le Temps
- Liberia Marks 20 Years Since the End of Its Civil War. Will a War Crimes Court Ever Be Created? – Pass Blue
- For justice in Syria, hope comes from Geneva rather than The Hague – The Geneva Observer
- Pour obtenir justice sur la Syrie, l’espoir vient de Genève plutôt que de La Haye – Le Temps
- Universal jurisdiction gains ground in Switzerland – Swiss info
- Liberia: Warlord Alieu Kosiah is Sentenced To 20 Years In prison For Crimes Against Humanity On Appeal – FPA
- Swiss court upholds ex-Liberian warlord’s 20-year-sentence – The African Report
- Alieu Kosiah, un ex-chef de guerre libérien reconnu coupable en Suisse de crimes contre l’humanité – RFI