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.

Sudan, South Africa and the future of the International Criminal Court in Africa

Many believe Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir is the person most responsible for the alleged genocide in Darfur. As such, he isn’t supposed to travel freely around the world. But this past June, Bashir visited South Africa for an African Union … Continue reading

Posted in Africa, African Union (AU), Darfur, International Criminal Court (ICC), International Criminal Justice, International Law, South Africa, Sudan | 8 Comments

Public Letter: How Canada Can Reclaim Its Reputation for International Justice

As scholars and observers of international criminal justice, the easiest thing for us to do is to point out the project’s shortcomings and flaws. It is easy to criticize states that don’t support the Court when they should, to condemn … Continue reading

Posted in Canada, International Criminal Court (ICC), International Criminal Justice | 2 Comments

The Curious Timing of Announcements at the ICC

International institutions, political parties and big companies. Something all of these have in common is their interest in sharing good news when the world is paying attention and bad news when it isn’t. The logic is simple: the sharing of … Continue reading

Posted in Ahmad Al Mahdi Al Faqi (Abou Tourab), International Criminal Court (ICC), International Criminal Justice, Justice, Kenya, Kenya and the ICC, Mali | Tagged , | 1 Comment

How the Canadian Government’s Pursuit of ‘Justice’ Makes Canadians and the World Less Secure

Canada currently finds itself in the midst of a historically long election. Perhaps more so than any other campaign in recent memory, the world is paying attention. Will Canadians re-elect a government that has tarnished the country’s global reputation on … Continue reading

Posted in Canada, Human Rights, International Law, Justice, Terrorism, War crimes | Tagged | 3 Comments

An Agenda for ‘Peace’ in the ‘Peace versus Justice’ Debate

As many readers will know, over the past six years, my academic work has focused on the so-called “peace versus justice” debate. The idea behind my research was to re-think how we assess the impact of the International Criminal Court … Continue reading

Posted in Academic Articles / Books, International Criminal Court (ICC), International Criminal Justice | 1 Comment

What We Know about the First Islamic Extremist at the ICC

From the instant that news emerged that Ahmad Al Mahdi Al Faqi had been surrendered to the International Criminal Court (ICC) on allegations that he was responsible for the war crime of destroying shrines in Timbuktu, Mali, the circumstances around … Continue reading

Posted in Ahmad Al Mahdi Al Faqi (Abou Tourab), ICC Prosecutor, International Criminal Court (ICC), International Criminal Justice, Mali | 7 Comments

The ICC Nabs a Perpetrator of Cultural Crimes in Mali

It is a fool’s game to predict what will happen next at the International Criminal Court (ICC). Today, the world woke up to news that the ICC had gained custody of Ahmad Al Faqi Al Mahdi, a member of the Ansar … Continue reading

Posted in Cultural Crimes, ICC Prosecutor, International Criminal Court (ICC), International Criminal Justice, Mali, Niger | 3 Comments

Striking the Right Balance: Truth at the Heart of Transitional Justice in Colombia

Sophie Haspeslagh joins JiC for an analysis of the recent breakthrough on transitional justice in the Colombian peace process. Sophie is a PhD candidate at the London School of Economics where she is researching the engagement of armed groups and … Continue reading

Posted in Colombia, FARC, Guest Posts, International Criminal Court (ICC), Transitional Justice | 4 Comments

Laying the Blame: Justice in Syria Just Got a Bit More Likely

Anyone would be excused for believing that things in Syria may get worse before they get better. Millions of civilians live in daily fear for their security. Those who manage to escape do so to a new kind of hell … Continue reading

Posted in International Law, ISIS, Islamic State, Israel, Justice, Russia, Syria, UN Security Council | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Announcement: Expert Seminar on ICC Preliminary Examinations and Legacy/Sustainable Exit

Dear all, Below is an announcement for what promises to be a fascinating and productive workshop on ICC Preliminary Examinations and Legacy/Sustainable Exit at the Peace Palace in The Hague. I will be attending and will provide some comments on … Continue reading

Posted in Conferences, Preliminary Examinations | 1 Comment