International crimes never die (but their perpetrators age)
International crimes never die (but their perpetrators age) OPINION. International crimes have no statute of limitations, but what can be done when their perpetrators, sometimes tried decades after the fact, have become senile, mentally ill, and can no longer understand prosecution? asks Civitas Maxima’s lawyer Alain Werner. The most striking difference between the prosecution of…
Compensation for victims of mass crimes after all?
Compensation for victims of mass crimes after all? There’s a lot going on this month in the field of international law, including Switzerland, with the referral to the Federal Criminal Court of the former Vice-President of Syria, Rifaat al-Assad, for trial on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Rifaat al-Assad is accused of…
Is the European Union responsible for crimes against humanity?
Is the European Union responsible for crimes against humanity? OPINION. “If you think that too many people are being killed, perhaps you should supply fewer weapons”, said the EU’s chief diplomat; Josep Borrell should also put his own house in order, writes Alain Werner, of Civitas Maxima, as the EU provides support for the repression…
No More “Lack Of Political Will” When It Comes to War-Related Impunity; President Boakai’s Unsaid Words Bring Hope to Liberians
No More “Lack Of Political Will” When It Comes to War-Related Impunity; President Boakai’s Unsaid Words Bring Hope to Liberians “We have decided to set up an office to explore the feasibility for the establishment of War and Economic Crimes Court (WECC) to provide an opportunity for those who bear the greatest responsibility for war…
Towards a greater universality of international law?
Towards a greater universality of international law? 2023 was a landmark year for international justice, with the historic appeal judgement on the Alieu Kosiah case handed down in June by the Swiss Federal Criminal Court. The beginning of 2024 continues on this note, as the trial of Ousman Sonko – former Gambian Interior Minister accused…
International crimes never die
International crimes never die For this final international law column of 2023, and despite the rising tensions, especially in the Middle East, I wanted to end the year on an optimistic note. Indeed, we owe it to future generations to never give up, but rather to hold high the conviction that, thanks to the application…
Europe does not have a monopoly on justice for international crimes
Europe does not have a monopoly on justice for international crimes At a time where the conflict in the Middle East is becoming more bloody and intense by the day, with no resolution in sight, the international mechanism that should be the guarantor of global security, the United Nations, continues to demonstrate its inability to…
War crimes round-up: perpetrators of international crimes cannot escape justice
Geneva Solutions’s monthly “war criminal hunt” in collaboration with the Geneva-based NGO Civitas Maxima. This month, a Belgian court sent a strong message to perpetrators of international crimes in its conviction and sentencing of five Guatemalan former military and political officials, all of whom were tried in absentia. During Guatemala’s decades-long civil war in which…
War crimes round-up: Europe does not have a monopoly on extra-territorial justice
Geneva Solutions’s monthly “war criminal hunt” in collaboration with the Geneva-based NGO Civitas Maxima. At a time where the conflict in the Middle East is becoming more intense by the day, the United Nations, the international mechanism that should be the guarantor of international peace and security,, continues to demonstrate its inability to live up…
War crimes round-up: international justice faces daunting challenges on Gaza
War crimes round-up: international justice faces daunting challenges on Gaza Geneva Solutions’s monthly “war criminal hunt” in collaboration with the Geneva-based NGO Civitas Maxima. As the war in Gaza escalates and the number of civilian casualties increases by the day, those of us who work in the field of international criminal justice can only wonder…
Justice in the Central African Republic: a model to follow?
Justice in the Central African Republic: a model to follow? These past weeks, there has once again been considerable movement on the front of international justice both in Switzerland and in France. Indeed, former Algerian Minister Nezzar has been referred for trial before the Federal Criminal Court, the first criminal trial in Switzerland for alleged…
War crimes round-up: can Central African Republic set an example for justice on the continent?
War crimes round-up: can Central African Republic set an example for justice on the continent? Geneva Solutions’s monthly “war criminal hunt” in collaboration with the Geneva-based NGO Civitas Maxima. These past weeks, there has been considerable movement on the international justice front in countries such as France and Switzerland. When victims of international crimes are…
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…
War crimes round-up: Switzerland weighs in on elusive quest for justice over Syria Hama massacre
War crimes round-up: Switzerland weighs in on elusive quest for justice over Syria Hama massacre Geneva Solutions’s monthly “war criminal hunt” in collaboration with the Geneva-based NGO Civitas Maxima. Switzerland’s Federal Criminal Court (FCC) revealed this month that an international arrest warrant was launched last year against Syrian president Bashar al-Assad’s uncle in connection with war crimes…
War crimes round-up: victims gain hope as ICC reopens Philippines drug war probe
War crimes round-up: victims gain hope as ICC reopens Philippines drug war probe Geneva Solutions’s monthly “war criminal hunt” in collaboration with the Geneva-based NGO Civitas Maxima. The International Criminal Court (ICC) announced on 18 July that it will relaunch its investigations into an anti-drug crackdown in the Philippines that killed thousands of people after rejecting the…
Le droit international marque des points à Ljubljana et à Paris
Steps forward for international law in Ljubljana and Paris May 26, 2023, will go down as an important date in the history of international criminal law. On that day, in Ljubljana, a legal initiative born outside the United Nations framework and supported by 80 States – including Switzerland – resulted in a Convention on International…
War crimes round-up: Argentina probes Myanmar’s crackdown on Rohingya, German carmakers hit by Uyghur forced labour complaint
War crimes round-up: Argentina probes Myanmar’s crackdown on Rohingya, German carmakers hit by Uyghur forced labour complaint Geneva Solutions’s monthly “war criminal hunt” in collaboration with the Geneva-based NGO Civitas Maxima. “In Buenos Aires, Argentina, victims are seeking justice against the perpetrators of the atrocities that forced 750,000 Rohingya Muslims to flee Myanmar in 2017.…
Benjamin Ferencz, a great man whose words are already missed
Benjamin Ferencz, a great man whose words are already missed He would have exasperated at Syria’s reintegration into the Arab League, or at Russia’s presidency of the Security Council. This legendary activist for international justice and former Nuremberg prosecutor died in April, aged 103. On May 7, we learned that the Arab League was reintegrating…
War crimes round-up: Swiss court upholds war crimes conviction against Liberian rebel, ‘historic’ crimes treaty adopted
Geneva Solutions’s monthly “war criminal hunt” in collaboration with the Geneva-based NGO Civitas Maxima. “Today’s announcement in the Alieu Kosiah case closes the month with a historic development in international justice, becoming the first-ever conviction for crimes against humanity in Switzerland. This ruling is a tribute to the bravery and resilience of several Liberian victims…
War crimes round-up: Gambian former minister charged in Switzerland, trial against Kosovo ex-president begins
Geneva Solutions’s monthly “war criminal hunt” in collaboration with the Geneva-based NGO Civitas Maxima. “This month, the international community lost one of its legends, Benjamin Ferencz. As the last surviving member of the team of prosecutors at the Nuremberg trials, Ferencz would have been pleased with this month’s round-up – particularly the landmark case of…
The International Criminal Court is finally at the center of the global game
The International Criminal Court is finally at the center of the global game After the failed prosecutions a few years back against former Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo, then former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, and former Deputy Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo Jean-Pierre Bemba, the International Criminal Court (ICC), based in The Hague,…
War crimes round-up: Putin wanted by ICC, Australian soldier charged for war crimes in Afghanistan
Geneva Solutions’s monthly “war criminal hunt”, in collaboration with the Geneva-based NGO Civitas Maxima. The decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue an arrest warrant against Vladimir Putin was the most striking news of the month. Given that the ICC does not have jurisdiction over the crime of aggression of the war in…
War crimes round-up: prosecuting Russia’s ‘aggression’ crimes, reparations for ‘colonial crimes’ against Chagos Islanders
Geneva Solutions’s monthly “war criminal hunt”, in collaboration with the Geneva-based NGO Civitas Maxima. Geneva Solutions’s monthly “war criminal hunt”, in collaboration with the Geneva-based NGO Civitas Maxima. The International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression (ICPA), announced for this summer in the Hague, is another step towards accountability. It follows the…
War crimes round-up: Liberian civil war rebels on trial again, survivor testifies against Gambian ‘death squad’
Geneva Solutions’s monthly “war criminal hunt”, in collaboration with the Geneva-based NGO Civitas Maxima. The first month of 2023 has been an indicator of how universal jurisdiction is gaining ground globally with every passing year. In Switzerland, the appeal proceedings against Liberian former rebel commander Alieu Kosiah began in a case that has represented many…
Kosovo war court issues first verdict, Nazi secretary convicted in Germany, Russia pushes for immunity law: war crimes round-up
Geneva Solutions’s monthly “war criminal hunt” round-up, in collaboration with Geneva-based NGO Civitas Maxima. As 2022 came to a close, there was no slowing down for justice. The Specialist Chambers for Kosovo, set up in 2015, ruled against a former commander of the Albanian Kosovo Liberation Army. In November, we had reported on one of the…
Juges d’un jour et crimes de masse
One-day judges and mass crimes OPINION. The oral proceedings of French trials surprised our columnist Alain Werner, director of Civitas Maxima, during the trial of Liberian warlord Kunti Kamara, which was just held in Paris. Appearing before a French “Cour d’assises” is a fascinating dive into the principle of orality, with a court that includes both…
Liberian rebel convicted in Paris, Kenya’s first crimes against humanity case: November war crimes round-up
Geneva Solutions’s monthly “war criminal hunt” round-up, in collaboration with Geneva-based NGO Civitas Maxima. “The November edition of our round-up gives, as always, information about current extra-territorial cases for international crimes – including the verdict on the ground-breaking case in Paris that we mentioned last time. It also highlights efforts to prosecute such crimes in…
Liberian ex-rebel tried in Paris, Moscow denies world court jurisdiction: October war crimes round-up
Geneva Solutions’s monthly “war criminal hunt” round-up, in collaboration with Geneva-based NGO Civitas Maxima. “Once again our monthly round-up is a testimony of the importance of extra-territorial cases for international crimes, with cases on Ukraine, Liberia, and Kenya making significant progress this past month. As I type, I am with my colleagues at a Paris…
Est-il nécessaire de tout nier si on est accusé de crimes internationaux ?
Is it necessary to deny everything if one is accused of international crimes? OPINION. They are accused – and convicted – of war crimes and crimes against humanity in West Africa, but do not recognize them, even partially, explains lawyer Alain Werner. Unless their lawyer, like François Roux, accompanies them on the path of asking…
Quelle justice pour les crimes internationaux de l’Iran?
What justice for Iran’s international crimes? OPINION. Outside the UN General Assembly, Iran has just reiterated that its national Hamid Nouri, former prosecutor and prison officer, was illegally convicted in Sweden this summer. Thanks to universal jurisdiction, international justice is progressing, but, sometimes, politics twists the law, as our reporter stated. On July 14, 2022,…
Guinea opens trials over 2009 massacre, rare case against Myanmar’s junta: September war crimes round-up
Geneva Solutions’ monthly “war criminal hunt” round-up, in collaboration with Geneva-based NGO Civitas Maxima. “Our monthly round-up continues with once again a rich diversity of cases brought or litigated in Asia, Africa and Europe, including one case in Guinea finally reaching the stage of the trial 13 years after the massacre committed in Conakry in…
Complaint filed over attack on Swiss journalist in Ukraine; NGOs call for probe into Saudi prince: August war crimes round-up
Geneva Solutions’s monthly “war criminal hunt” round-up, in collaboration with Geneva-based NGO Civitas Maxima. Denunciation filed after Russian attack on Swiss journalist A Ukrainian NGO denounced an attack last month against a Swiss press photographer during the war in Ukraine. Truth Hounds, assisted by Civitas Maxima, filed the denunciation with Switzerland’s attorney general following an attack on Guillaume…
Iranian prison officer sentenced, Rwandan genocide conviction, Sri Lankan ex-president under fire: July war crimes round-up
Geneva Solutions’s monthly “war criminal hunt” round-up, in collaboration with Geneva-based NGO Civitas Maxima. “No holiday recess for this monthly round-up as international crimes – as well as efforts to litigate these crimes – do not stop over the summer. Once again, several developments on Ukraine, but also justice efforts on crimes committed in Iran,…
Ukraine begins first rape trial of Russian soldier, Swiss probed for timber trafficking: June war crimes round-up
Geneva Solutions’s monthly “war criminal hunt” round-up, in collaboration with Geneva-based NGO Civitas Maxima. “As we continue our monthly round-up on cases involving international crimes, litigation continues in Ukraine with a case on sexual violence; however, trials are now expanding to include people who fought alongside the Ukrainians, both in Ukraine and in Russia. The…
First Russian soldier convicted, torture probe against Interpol chief, war crime charges upheld against Lafarge: May international crimes round-up
Geneva Solutions’ monthly “war criminal hunt” round-up, in collaboration with Geneva-based NGO Civitas Maxima. “As we continue our monthly round-up on cases involving international crimes, Ukrainian prosecutors have secured the first conviction for war crimes, sentencing a 21 year-old Russian soldier to life in prison. This case was tried within 10 days by judges who…
Swiss firm accused of pillaging, new trials at ICC, Ukraine violations: April war crimes round-up
Geneva Solutions’ monthly “war criminal hunt” round-up, in collaboration with Geneva-based NGO Civitas Maxima. This article was updated on May 5, to include the trial of Gibril Massaquoi. “The public has discovered in the past weeks through the media more and more of the numerous and unspeakable atrocities committed against civilians in the conflict in…
GJRP’s Deputy Director Fayah Williams passes away
GJRP’s Deputy Director Fayah Williams passes away It is with great sadness that we communicate that Fayah Williams, Deputy Director of GJRP, passed away on April 12, 2022. Fayah had been part of GJRP since its creation in 2012, and was an integral part of the organization. One always felt seen by Fayah. His care…
Waiting for justice on Martina Johnson’s alleged war crimes in Liberia
Martina Johnson was allegedly involved in mutilations and mass killings during the first Liberian Civil War. Thirty years later, Johnson has yet to stand trial. In October 1992, the National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) forced hundreds of mostly intoxicated child soldiers to attack Liberia’s Capital Monrovia. They were part of “Operation Octopus”, a four-month-long…
Karim Khan in Ukraine, Sudanese victims against BNP Paribas, Gambian indicted in Germany: war criminal hunt round-up
Sudanese victims against BNP Paribas, Gambian indicted in Germany: war criminal hunt round-up Geneva Solutions is launching a new monthly “war criminal hunt” round-up, in collaboration with Geneva-based NGO Civitas Maxima, who will help us stay aboard the top cases. Here are a few words of introduction from its director, Alain Werner. “The events of…
Legitimate military targets in the ongoing Ukraine/Russia conflict
Legitimate military targets in the ongoing Ukraine/Russia conflict The recent events that have occurred in Ukraine raise the issue of legitimate military targets. One should be aware that the conduct of hostilities is framed by rules and principles established by International Humanitarian Law (IHL). IHL aims at minimizing human suffering during armed conflicts by reaching…
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…
Jusqu’où protéger les criminels de guerre présumés qui en dénoncent d’autres ? La Finlande a tranché
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…
Les Finlandais font la preuve de leur engagement aux côtés des victimes contre l'impunité
Finland has demonstrated its support for the victims and for the fight against impunity Liberia was the theater 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 neighboring…
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…
