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.
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.
On 30 June 2025, the Audiencia Nacional, the Spanish court entrusted with jurisdiction over international crimes committed abroad, reopened the pre-trial investigation into international crimes allegedly committed by a Spanish national during the civil war that ravaged Sierra Leone from 1991 to 2002.
As war today seems to be the only agenda for some major powers, including a war against justice itself, all those who still uphold the values of international law must unite on the side of all victims, without discrimination, and support any genuine pursuit of justice, writes Alain Werner, director of Civitas Maxima.
While the Director of the Office for the Establishment of War and Economic Crimes Court for Liberia has said that the first indictments will be issued in 2027, the office has yet to publicly tackle the thorny questions of how the court will be structured, designed, and resourced.
On May 27, a Swiss Court found Mr. Alan White, a U.S citizen, guilty of the offence of defamation against Alain Werner, the Director of Civitas Maxima, for claiming that the criminal cases he pursued against Liberian nationals were based on false testimonies obtained in exchange for things of value, such as sums of money.
For the first time, a former head of state will appear before the International Criminal Court in The Hague for crimes against humanity committed against his own citizens during peacetime, notes international lawyer Alain Werner, who follows each month what pushes — or fails to push — justice forward.
Liberian and international NGOs and civil society urge President Boakai to renew the executive order to establish a war crimes court. Justice for civil war victims requires sustained political will, a clear roadmap, and strong support to end decades of impunity for grave human rights violations.
On 7th of April, a group of Liberian and international NGOs, including Civitas Maxima, submitted a joint stakeholder report to the Human Rights Council, assessing the progress made by Liberia since the country’s last review in November 2020 and providing concrete recommendations for the years to come.
TRIAL International, in collaboration with Civitas Maxima, the Center for Justice and Accountability, the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights, the International Federation for Human Rights, and REDRESS, published the 2025 edition of the Universal Jurisdiction Annual Review, which compiles developments in 95 extraterritorial and universal jurisdiction cases prosecuted in 16 countries.
