Extraterritorial justice: a source of great hope for Yazidi victims
This is the first time that Daesh’s actions against the Yazidi community have been legally recognized as acts of genocide.
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 […]
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.
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 […]
The Fight Against Impunity at the Heart of Swiss Foreign Policy
The Fight Against Impunity at the Heart of Swiss Foreign Policy Compared to the rather meager efforts of the Federal Prosecutor’s Office in the field of universal jurisdiction, Switzerland has a good foreign policy track record in the area of international criminal law. In light of its longstanding humanitarian tradition, Switzerland has long been committed […]
The Trial that Made Swiss Judges Go Down in History
The Trial that Made Swiss Judges Go Down in History On June 18, the Federal Criminal Court issued a judgment convicting Alieu Kosiah, Liberian national arrested in Lausanne, for war crimes committed during the First Civil War in Liberia. How and why were Swiss judges able to pass judgment on a foreign national who has […]
Prosecution of crimes under international criminal law: a clarification!
Prosecution of Crimes Under International Criminal Law: a Clarification! By amending the Criminal Code in 2011, in particular from article 264 onwards, following the ratification of the Rome Statute 10 years earlier, the Swiss legislator opened up a new legal field. It entrusted the civil justice system, i.e. the Office of the Attorney General of […]
International Justice: the Slowness of Switzerland
International Justice: the Slowness of Switzerland Despite the recent conviction of a Liberian warlord, Switzerland is still struggling to become a leading player in the fight against impunity for the most serious crimes. It is, however, well equipped to follow the lead of many European countries in prosecuting perpetrators of the worst atrocities. The analysis […]
How can child soldiers be tried for crimes committed as adults?
This article first appeared on Le Temps on the 6th of May How can child soldiers be tried for crimes committed as adults? On the 6th of May, the judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC) will sentence Dominic Ongwen, a former Ugandan rebel commander and a former child soldier. His guilty verdict has already […]
Standing for what is right: consequences of conflict on disability
Standing for what is right: consequences of conflict on disability We must treat every disabled person with equal respect and dignity, without discrimination. Disability doesn’t in any way mean inability. My experience when I became blind was a dramatic one, as I was not born blind. I developed blindness at a very young age but […]
The Case of Liberian Child Soldiers
The Case of Liberian Child Soldiers There are a number of international legal instruments intended to safeguard children. These include the UN Declaration on the Rights of Children, stating that “the child, by reason of his physical and mental immaturity, needs special safeguards and care”, as well as the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and the two […]
The Massaquoi trial Q&A
The Massaquoi trial Q&A The Finnish trial of Sierra Leonean national, Gibril Massaquoi, started in February in Finland but hearings of victims and witnesses will be conducted by Finnish judges in Liberia and then in Sierra Leone. This trial is spurring a lot of discussion and debate, not only because it sits within the broader […]
How far should suspected war criminals who denounce others be protected? Finland has decided
This article first appeared on LeTemps on the 8th of February 2021. How far should suspected war criminals who denounce others be protected? Finland has decided Gibril Massaquoi, who the press has dubbed “the Judas of Sierra Leone”, did not see his own arrest coming, having so masterfully caused the arrest of his former brothers […]
Finland has demonstrated its support for the victims and for the fight against impunity
Finland has demonstrated its support for the victims and for the fight against impunity Liberia was the theatre of one of Africa’s most brutal conflicts – the first and second civil wars of 1989-1997 and 1999-2003, respectively. The wars not only destroyed the lives of hundreds of thousands of Liberians, but eventually spilled into neighbouring […]
Justice Delayed, Justice Denied?
Justice Delayed, Justice Denied? By Kelsey Guthrie-Jones, Capacity Building Coordinator and Legal Counsel at Civitas Maxima Civitas Maxima and the GJRP have seen many successes in the eight years since our establishment in 2012. Across Europe and in the U.S., we have contributed to the arrest, and/or conviction of 8 high-ranking former commanders or officials of […]
