On May 27, 2025, the criminal division of the Jura-Bernois Seeland Regional Court in Switzerland found Mr. Alan White, a U.S. national, guilty of acts of defamation committed in July 2021 against the Director of Civitas Maxima, Alain Werner. The same Court issued a 38-page written judgment analyzing in detail the Court’s argumentation. Alan White has appealed this judgment, and the appeal proceedings are ongoing.
The risk of speaking out: rethinking victim and witness protection in universal jurisdiction proceedings
Universal jurisdiction is often hailed as a last resort for justice, yet victims and witnesses face severe risks when speaking out. Drawing on cases from Liberia, this article examines threats, protection gaps, and the urgent need for stronger, victim-centred safeguards beyond convictions.
International justice in 2025: threatened with death, yet unstoppable
U.S. sanctions against its judges and prosecutors, contempt for its authority: attacks against the International Criminal Court continue relentlessly. National courts, however, have picked up the mantle in prosecuting international crimes and this movement has now become the true flagship of international criminal justice.
Finally criminalizing torture in Switzerland to protect us all
Switzerland, despite its historic role in advancing global anti-torture conventions, still lacks a national law criminalizing torture. Director of Civitas Maxima and laywer Alain Werner urges Parliament to correct this gap, aligning Swiss law with international standards to ensure accountability, justice, and protection for all.
“No Safe Haven”: no refuge for torturers in Switzerland
On October 31, the Legal Affairs Committee of the National Council (CAJ-N) decided to continue its work on the preliminary draft of the federal law on the inclusion of torture in the Swiss Criminal Code, paving the way for its consideration by Parliament. This specific criminalization of torture responds to a concrete imperative: to enable Switzerland to prosecute torturers who seek refuge on its territory.
After over 10 years, the investigation phase of the case against Martina Johnson is closed
After over a decade of investigations, the Ghent Court of First Instance has closed the investigation against Martina Johnson, accused of war crimes during Liberia’s civil war. A hearing will now determine if the case goes to trial.
Ignazio Cassis’s reckless remarks on Vladimir Putin in Switzerland
Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis’s suggestion to grant Vladimir Putin immunity for peace talks undermines international justice. Alain Werner, director of Civitas Maxima, warns that such a move, though legally possible, would violate Switzerland’s obligations to the ICC and weaken its credibility as a defender of international law.
Laye Sekou Camara, aka “K-1”, sentenced to almost 5 years in prison for immigration fraud in the United States
Laye Sekou Camara, high-ranking member of the LURD group, has been sentenced on 11th September to 57 months in prison by the District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. On 16 January 2025, he plead guilty to four counts of immigration fraud.
Israelis documenting crimes committed in Gaza
Israeli journalists, academics, and rights groups are documenting atrocities in Gaza, exposing mass civilian deaths, deliberate attacks, and use of human shields. Their evidence, corroborated internationally, forms a crucial record against impunity—ensuring these crimes cannot be erased, even amid political pressure to silence accountability.
Improving prosecution of enforced disappearances: challenges and solutions
On June 16 Civitas Maxima attended the “Strategies and prospects in prosecuting enforced disappearances: harmonizing the law and coordinating actors” seminar. This expert seminar aimed at better understanding the causes of enforced disappearances’ poor record of criminal convictions and formulating strategies to put in place to remedy this situation.
