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.

Prosecuting Sexual Violence – Some Steps Forward, But Still a Long Way to Go

Viviane Dittrich joins JiC for this guest-post on the recent record of international tribunals in prosecuting sexual violence. Viviane is completing her PhD at the London School of Economics where her work focuses on the international criminal tribunals, their institutional development … Continue reading

Posted in Gender, Guest Posts, ICTY, International Criminal Court (ICC), International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), Sexual Violence | Tagged | 1 Comment

Russia’s Responsibility to Protect in Ukraine?

Russia is increasingly using the language of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) in order to justify its intervention in Crimea, Ukraine. Just yesterday, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that any use of armed force in Ukraine would “coincide with our interests to protect the … Continue reading

Posted in Responsibiltiy to Protect (R2P), Russia, Ukraine, UN Security Council | Tagged | 4 Comments

Healing Wounds, Fostering Change: Reparations for Women Victims of International Crimes

Noemi Manco joins JiC for this timely post on reparations for women in post-conflict societies. Noemi is a legal advisor for migrants and asylum seekers in France. She has also worked for Amnesty International in Switzerland and Redress in London.  Well-crafted … Continue reading

Posted in Gender, Guest Posts, Peace Processes, Reparations | Tagged | Leave a comment

Ukraine and the International Criminal Court: Out of Africa and Into Europe?

Ukraine’s Parliament has voted to send its discredited thug of a President Viktor Yanukovych to the International Criminal Court (ICC). After losing his grip on power and fleeing Kiev, Yanukovych is a man on the run. But if he is … Continue reading

Posted in Complementarity, Gravity, International Criminal Court (ICC), Ukraine | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Justice in the Central African Republic: A Role for the ICC

James P. Rudolph joins JiC for this fascinating guest-post on the ICC’s preliminary investigation into ongoing violence in the Central African Republic. You can read more of James’ posts here.  Fatou Bensouda, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), … Continue reading

Posted in Central African Republic (CAR), ICC Prosecutor, International Criminal Court (ICC), International Criminal Justice | Tagged | Leave a comment

Should Ukraine be on the International Criminal Court’s Radar?

Things were supposed to settle down earlier this week when opposition activists in Kiev accepted an amnesty in exchange for vacating government buildings. Within hours, however, a new spate of violence broke out. On Wednesday evening it once again appeared … Continue reading

Posted in Europe, European Union (EU), International Criminal Court (ICC), Russia, Ukraine | Tagged | 2 Comments

A Break in the Status Quo: Could North Korea be Referred to the ICC?

It’s news that isn’t actually news. A Commission of Inquiry, set up by the United Nations, has issued a report concluding that North Korea has been committing crimes against humanity against its own people. Evidence was gathered primarily through the … Continue reading

Posted in Commission of Inquiry, International Criminal Court (ICC), North Korea | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The Awful Truth About Holocaust Reporting – And Its Legacy

The history of genocide reporting is both fascinating and frustrating. There are few things more difficult to accurately portray – through film, newspapers, blogs or photography – than the so-called “crime of crimes“. Acts of mass violence are complicated and … Continue reading

Posted in Funding, Genocide, Holocaust | Tagged | 18 Comments

Libya’s Political Isolation Law: Politics and Justice or the Politics of Justice?

It has been a tough go for Libya. Almost two and a half years after the demise of the Gaddafi regime, the country continues to struggle in its ongoing and tumultuous transition. After forty years of autocratic rule, creating a … Continue reading

Posted in Justice, Libya, Lustration, Transitional Justice | 1 Comment

No Bush-Style BIA – A Clarification on Mali and the US

After even more digging, I have found no evidence of a Bilateral Immunity Agreement (BIA) between Mali and the US. Upon a more careful reading of the memorandum declaring that US troops participating in a UN stabilization mission in Mali … Continue reading

Posted in Bilateral Immunity Agreements, International Criminal Court (ICC), Mali, United States | Tagged , , | 8 Comments