Author Archives: Mark Kersten

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About Mark Kersten

Mark Kersten is an Assistant Professor in the Criminology and Criminal Justice Department at the University of the Fraser Valley in British Columbia, Canada, and a Senior Consultant at the Wayamo Foundation in Berlin, Germany. Mark is the founder of the blog Justice in Conflict and author of the book, published by Oxford University Press, by the same name. He holds an MSc and PhD in International Relations from the London School of Economics and a BA (Hons) from the University of Guelph. Mark has previously been a Research Associate at the Refugee Law Project in Uganda, and as researcher at Justice Africa and Lawyers for Justice in Libya in London. He has taught courses on genocide studies, the politics of international law, transitional justice, diplomacy, and conflict and peace studies at the London School of Economics, SOAS, and University of Toronto. Mark’s research has appeared in numerous academic fora as well as in media publications such as The Globe and Mail, Al Jazeera, BBC, Foreign Policy, the CBC, Toronto Star, and The Washington Post. He has a passion for gardening, reading, hockey (on ice), date nights, late nights, Lego, and creating time for loved ones.

A litmus test for commitment to international law: Germany needs to speak up and protect the ICC

The following is a guest-post by Maxine Rubin on the relationship between Germany and the International Criminal Court. Maxine is a Research Fellow and the Editor of Africa Spectrum, at the German Institute for Global and Area Studies. She has … Continue reading

Posted in Germany, Guest Posts, ICC Prosecutor, International Criminal Court (ICC), International Criminal Justice, Israel, Palestine, Palestine and the ICC | Leave a comment

We need to talk about the “International Stabilization Force”: Canada and others say they’ll support a military intervention to ‘enforce peace’ and protect civilians in Gaza

As the first stage of the peace plan for Gaza takes shape amidst reported breaches of the fragile agreement between Hamas and Israel, a critical question remains: will military forces be used to secure Gaza? While Canada announced its recognition … Continue reading

Posted in Afghanistan, Canada, Gaza, Israel, Palestine, Peace Negotiations, Peace Processes, Peacebuilding, Responsibiltiy to Protect (R2P), United Nations | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Lifting Immunity, Resolving Impunity? The Case for an Immunity Exception in a Future Crimes Against Humanity Convention

Mayya Chaykina join JiC for this post on the issue of immunities in the proposed Crimes Against Humanity Convention. Mayya is a master’s student in law at Sciences Po Paris. Her work focuses on international criminal law, mass atrocity prevention, and … Continue reading

Posted in Crimes against humanity, Guest Posts, United Nations, United Nations General Assembly | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Canada and allies recognize Palestine: what does it mean, what does it change, and will real action to end atrocities and annexation follow?

Amidst the atrocities, annexation efforts, and ignored warnings to stop both, it became impossible to defend the status quo. So, on 21 September 2025, Canada joined 150 other states – including erstwhile Israeli allies, France and the UK – that … Continue reading

Posted in Apartheid, Canada, Gaza, Genocide, Israel, Palestine, United Nations, United Nations General Assembly | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

An Inversion of Pariah Status:  How Washington is undermining the UN General Assembly as a sanctuary for peace to thwart the ICC

Victor Peskin joins JiC for this guest post on the upcoming United Nations General Assembly. Victor is an Associate Professor in the School of Politics & Global Studies at Arizona State University and a Senior Research Fellow at the UC … Continue reading

Posted in Gaza, ICC Prosecutor, ICC Sanctions, International Criminal Court (ICC), Israel, Palestine, Palestine and the ICC, United Nations, United Nations General Assembly, United States | Tagged | Leave a comment

Is this Justice? Prosecuting the Ghost of Joseph Kony at the International Criminal Court

We sat beneath the mango trees at a hotel in Gulu, northern Uganda, the epicenter of a horrific civil war between the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and Ugandan government forces. It was 2011 and the three decommissioned LRA commanders asked … Continue reading

Posted in International Crimes Division (Uganda), International Criminal Court (ICC), Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), northern Uganda, Uganda | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Vindicating a “Justice Murder”: How a State Agent Wrongfully Convicted on Terrorism Charges won his case 

Kerstin Bree Carlson joins JiC for this guest-post on the remarkable story of Ahmed Samsam, who was convicted on terrorism charges in Spain, only to win his case after proving he was a Danish state agent. Kerstin’s current research examines terrorism … Continue reading

Posted in Denmark, Guest Posts, Islamic State, Spain, Syria, Terrorism | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Canada helped build the ICC. Now its silence is helping destroy it.

The response was swift, until it wasn’t. Reacting to U.S. sanctions against International Criminal Court (ICC) officials – including Canadian judge Kimberly Prost – Canada’s Ambassador to the United Nations Bob Rae called the move “disgraceful”. He added that “attacks” on ICC staff “by … Continue reading

Posted in Afghanistan, Canada, Donald Trump, ICC Prosecutor, ICC Sanctions, International Criminal Court (ICC), Israel, Palestine and the ICC, United States | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Catching perpetrators to prosecute them abroad: could piecemeal justice contribute to comprehensive accountability for atrocities committed in Gaza?

They thought they’d enjoy the festival, maybe a waffle and a Hoegaarden. Instead, the two Israeli soldiers were detained and questioned by Belgian police after facing allegations of war crimes stemming from the Hind Rajab Foundation, an organization set up to track soldiers … Continue reading

Posted in Canada, Crimes against humanity, Gaza, Genocide, Israel, Palestine, Palestine and the ICC, Syria, Universal Jurisdiction, War crimes | Tagged | Leave a comment

Algorithms, Automation and Accountability: Imagining Responsibility for the Crimes of Machines

The following is a guest post by Masoud Zamani is a lecturer in international law and international relations at the University of British Columbia. His research focuses on the intersection of emerging technologies and international legal accountability. In recent years, … Continue reading

Posted in Drones, Guest Posts, International Criminal Court (ICC), International Criminal Justice, lethal autonomous weapon systems, War crimes | Tagged | 1 Comment