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.

The ICC is Free to Investigate Ukraine since 2014. So What Now?

After months of speculation, Ukraine has finally decided to refer the violence in the country since February 2014 to the International Criminal Court (ICC). The ICC is now free to open a preliminary investigation and, if it finds reason to … Continue reading

Posted in International Criminal Court (ICC), International Criminal Justice, Russia, Ukraine | Tagged | 15 Comments

Bosco ‘The Terminator’ Ntaganda Goes on Trial: Should Kagame Be Afraid?

Nine years after he was originally indicted and over two years after he shocked the world by walking into the American Embassy in Kigali, Rwanda, and asking to be hauled off to The Hague, the trial of Bosco ‘The Terminator’ … Continue reading

Posted in Bosco Ntaganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, International Criminal Court (ICC), International Criminal Justice, International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), Rwanda, Rwandan Genocide | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

Should War Crime Perpetrators Pursue PhDs?

The first-ever individual convicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) has asked judges at The Hague-based Court to grant him early release so that he can pursue a PhD. The former warlord and rebel leader Thomas Dyilo Lubanga, a man … Continue reading

Posted in Democratic Republic of Congo, International Criminal Court (ICC), International Criminal Justice, Libya, Libya and the ICC, Uganda | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Is Local ICC Justice Necessarily Better than ICC justice?

A few weeks ago, the International Criminal Court (ICC) came nail-bitingly close to finally holding proceedings in an affected community rather than in The Hague. Ultimately, the ICC’s president decided that the risks of holding part of the trial of … Continue reading

Posted in Bosco Ntaganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Dominic Ongwen ICC, ICC Prosecutor, International Criminal Court (ICC), International Criminal Justice, Uganda | 4 Comments

Heading to the University of Toronto

Dear Readers, It is with great pleasure that I announce that I, along with the blog, are heading to the University of Toronto. I recently accepted a two-year post doc from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and will … Continue reading

Posted in JiC News | 2 Comments

A New War Crimes Court is Born, but Who is Responsible in Kosovo?

Aidan Hehir joins JiC for this critical examination of Kosovo’s war crimes tribunal and the need to pursue accountability for all parties directly and indirectly responsible for mass atrocities in the country. Aidan is a Reader in International Relations at … Continue reading

Posted in Balkans, Guest Posts, International Criminal Justice, International Law, Kosovo, Serbia, Transitional Justice | Tagged , | 6 Comments

The Africa-ICC Relationship – More and Less than Meets the Eye (Part 3)

Over the last two weeks, I have attempted to critically examine and assess the relationship between African states and the ICC. In the first post, I critiqued popular assumptions about the relationship, namely that it is viewed as either the … Continue reading

Posted in Africa, African Union (AU), Central African Republic (CAR), Complementarity, Hissène Habré, International Criminal Court (ICC) | 5 Comments

Justice, But Only For Some: The Trial of Hissène Habré

Kelly-Jo Bluen joins JiC for this critical take on the trial of Hissène Habré and the need to pursue justice for all parties responsible for atrocities in Chad. Kelly-Jo is the project leader for international justice at the Institute for … Continue reading

Posted in African Union (AU), Chad, Guest Posts, Hissène Habré, International Criminal Justice, Senegal, Special African Chamber (CAE), War crimes | 4 Comments

Putting Victims First: The Aftermath of al-Bashir’s Visit to South Africa

Stephen Lamony joins JiC for this timely piece refocusing debates on Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir’s travels in defiance of the International Criminal Court to its impact on victims. Stephen is Head of Advocacy and Policy, UN, AU and Africa Situations … Continue reading

Posted in Darfur, Genocide, Guest Posts, International Criminal Court (ICC), International Criminal Justice, Sudan | Tagged | 3 Comments

The Africa-ICC Relationship – More and Less than Meets the Eye (Part 2)

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has an ‘Africa problem’. The Court is widely perceived as a Western, neo-colonial institution that unfairly targets African states. The ICC and its champions insist this isn’t the case. The Court is simply misunderstood and … Continue reading

Posted in Africa, African Union (AU), Central African Republic (CAR), Chad, Child Soldiers, Darfur, Democratic Republic of Congo, Dominic Ongwen ICC, Hissène Habré, International Criminal Court (ICC), Ivory Coast / Côte d'Ivoire, Ivory Coast and the ICC, Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), Omar al-Bashir, Senegal, Special African Chamber (CAE), Sudan, Uganda, UN Security Council | 11 Comments