By Rick Mendenhall

Just last week, the International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia (ICTY) upheld the conviction of former Serbian General Tolimir for genocide. The former general is expected to remain incarcerated for the rest of his life. Although the decision was delivered without much fanfare, not every recent decision by the ICTY has been free from intrigue. The New York Times covered a heated row among court judges along national lines. The spat resulted in a judge being disqualified from a case.

With national ties playing a role in international courts, the question becomes how should judges be selected to avoid international disagreements? Please join the American Society of International Law on April 24, 2015 as they answer that very question. The panel includes a former judge of the International Criminal tribunal for former Yugoslavia, and the executive director of the Center for Justice and International law. Try not to miss it!

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April 21, 2015

 By Stephen Kozey

Although international criminal law (ICL) has its roots in the 1500s or earlier, the normative development of this body of law only really picked up within the past century or so. Even though some aspects of ICL remain uncertain, its recent development has been fairly swift and robust. Thus, ICL doctrines are fully capable of reasoned application today to hold individuals responsible for international crimes they commit, such as war crimes and gross violations of international human rights.

Unfortunately, as Jack Donnelly points out, it seems that the procedural mechanisms for enforcing ICL do not deserve such kudos. The two principal avenues for prosecuting alleged international criminals – international tribunals and domestic courts – are simply not up to the task. Their inadequacy is evidenced, for example, by the fact that U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon still has to plead for protection of human rights and an end to mass atrocities.

International criminal tribunals are not effective mechanisms because they tend to be expensive and overburdened, and proceedings often take many years to start and many more years to conclude. The title of a recent Forbes article on the ICC says it all: “International Criminal Court: 12 Years, $1 Billion, 2 Convictions.”

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April 18, 2014

By Aliza Kempner

The Open Society Justice Initiative just launched an exciting new website for tracking international justice issues, seeking to “expand awareness and understanding of the role of international justice in holding accountable those responsible for atrocities.”

The International Justice Monitor focuses primarily on prosecutions at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in addition to other courts battling those issues, such as the Special Court for Sierra Leone and the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia.

Make sure to check out the International Justice Monitor.

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March 12, 2014

By Katie Bacharach

Two former leaders of Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge regime denied responsibility for war crimes on the last day of their trial before the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), according to the UN News Centre.

The ECCC was established in 2006 to try those most responsible for the crimes committed during the Khmer Rouge regime. Mr. Nuon Chea and Mr. Khieu Samphan are on trial for war crimes and both men denied responsibility and expressed remorse for those who suffered under the regime. The prosecution called for a life sentence, arguing that the two men were the masterminds of criminal policies that forced millions of people to march thousands of kilometers to unknown places in inhumane conditions and killed hundreds of former Lon Nol officials and soldiers.

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October 31, 2013