Author Archives: Mark Kersten

About Mark Kersten

Mark Kersten is a consultant at the Wayamo Foundation, a Senior Researcher at the Munk School of Global Affairs, and a law student at McGill University Law School. He is also author of the book, 'Justice in Conflict - The Effects of the International Criminal Court's Interventions on Ending Wars and Building Peace' (Oxford University Press, 2016).

Exposing hidden weapons of war: Justice and accountability for the deliberate starvation of civilians

Posted on December 1, 2020 by Mark Kersten

Jahaan Pittalwala, and Juliette Paauwe join JiC for this guest-post on starvation as an atrocity crime. Jahaan is a Research Analyst at the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect. Juliette is a Senior Research Analyst, also at the GCR2P. … Continue reading →

Posted in Guest Posts, Starvation, War crimes, Yemen | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Building the International Law of Peace

Posted on November 10, 2020 by Mark Kersten

The following is a guest-post by Mark Freeman. Mark is is the Executive Director of the Institute for Integrated Transitions (IFIT). On this annual Armistice Day, many countries will rightly stop to recall the horrors and heroism of World War … Continue reading →

Posted in Guest Posts, International Law, Peace Negotiations, Peace Processes, Peacebuilding | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The ICC Inches Closer to Bashir Prosecution as Sudan and Israel Normalize Relations

Posted on October 28, 2020 by Mark Kersten

The Middle East watched with interest when it was announced that Sudanese authorities were planning to “hand over” Omar Al Bashir, the ousted president, to the International Criminal Court. It has been more than 10 years since the ICC issued … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

The Politics of Electing ICC Judges: Some Unpopular Thoughts

Posted on October 22, 2020 by Mark Kersten

Andrea Trigoso joins JiC for this guest-post on the election of judges to the International Criminal Court (ICC). Andrea is a qualified lawyer with an LLM and experience in International Criminal Justice. She also holds a masters in Transitional Justice, … Continue reading →

Posted in Elections, Guest Posts, International Criminal Court (ICC), International Criminal Justice, Judges | Tagged | 4 Comments

No Justice without Peace, but what Peace is on Offer? Palestine, Israel, and the International Criminal Court

Posted on October 13, 2020 by Mark Kersten

There have been many claims posited as to why the Prosecutor or the International Criminal Court (ICC) should not open an investigation into alleged crimes perpetrated on the territory of Palestine by Israeli and Palestinian actors. Among the rarer claims … Continue reading →

Posted in ICC Prosecutor, International Criminal Court (ICC), International Criminal Justice, Israel, Palestine, Palestine and the ICC, Peace Negotiations, Peace Processes | 3 Comments

Non-Governmental Organizations, Faith-Based Groups, Legal Professionals, Experts, and Former Government Officials Unequivocally Oppose U.S. Sanctions Against the International Criminal Court

Posted on September 26, 2020 by Mark Kersten

The following is a public letter calling on the United States to drop its sanctions against staff of the International Criminal Court (ICC). I am proud and happy to have signed the letter alongside luminaries and leaders in the field … Continue reading →

Posted in ICC Prosecutor, International Criminal Court (ICC), Sanctions, United States | Leave a comment

New Paper: This Mass Atrocity was Brought to You by the Ivory Trade: Linking Transnational and International Crimes

Posted on September 23, 2020 by Mark Kersten

Yesterday, I posted remarks that I gave to the UN Fact-Finding Mission on Libya with respect to the nexus between international crimes and transnational organized crimes.  My talk was based on ongoing research I have been doing on the subject … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic Articles / Books, International Criminal Court (ICC), International Criminal Justice, Islamic State, Kosovo, Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), northern Uganda, Sierra Leone, Transnational Organized Crime | Leave a comment

A Nexus for Justice: Investigating the Intersection of International Crimes and Transnational Organized Crimes

Posted on September 22, 2020 by Mark Kersten

The following are remarks that I gave on 22 September 2020 to the Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) on Libya, which was established by the United Nations Human Rights Council in June of this year. The talk focused on the need to investigate … Continue reading →

Posted in Europe, European Union (EU), Human Trafficking, Libya, Libya and the ICC, Transnational Organized Crime, United Nations | 3 Comments

Trump’s sanctions against International Criminal Court staff aren’t just ‘bad’, they’re Racist

Posted on September 10, 2020 by Mark Kersten

The presidency of Donald Trump has been defined by the perpetuation and perpetration of systemic racism. Most observers focus on evidence of Trump’s racism within the domestic realm – and there is heaps of evidence to draw upon. Trump’s outright … Continue reading →

Posted in Black Lives Matter, ICC Prosecutor, International Criminal Court (ICC), International Criminal Justice, United States | Tagged | 3 Comments

Inching Closer: Could Omar al-Bashir finally be prosecuted by the International Criminal Court?

Posted on September 1, 2020 by Mark Kersten

“I reiterate that the government is fully prepared to cooperate with the ICC to facilitate access to those accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity.” So declared Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok on 22 August 2020. Some are surely … Continue reading →

Posted in Darfur, ICC Prosecutor, International Criminal Court (ICC), International Criminal Justice, Omar al-Bashir, Sudan | 3 Comments