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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The new U.S. administration is targeting both the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the Geneva Conventions, as evidenced by the new Secretary of Defense’s stance on international humanitarian law. It is time to wake up, writes Alain Werner, director of the NGO Civitas Maxima.
From the first trial held under the principle of universal jurisdiction for international crimes committed in Gambia under former President Yahya Jammeh, to the first conviction of the Belgian state for crimes against humanity during its colonial rule, December has been full of remarkable developments regarding international justice.
October saw significant developments in international justice, including the Netherlands’ first trial addressing Yazidi enslavement, Bangladesh’s charges against ex-PM Hasina, and key war crimes trials and investigations in Belgium, Libya, Uganda, and more.
The tragic events that have unfolded since October 7, 2023, in Israel and Palestine have triggered a historically unprecedented wave of global judicial activity. Although some tangible results have been achieved over the past year, the overall impact remains very limited.
Read about how a Moroccan court will examine an Israeli war crimes case, how a case was filed before the ICJ against the Taliban for gender discrimination, as well as more updates, insights, and key developments in the world of international justice.
