Author Archives: Mark Kersten

Unknown's avatar

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.

Update and Clarification — Mali and the US: But What Bilateral Immunity Agreement?

Update / Clarification After even more digging, I have found no evidence of a Bilateral Immunity Agreement (BIA) between Mali and the US. Indeed, upon a more careful reading of the memorandum stating that US officials and troops participating in a UN … Continue reading

Posted in Article 98, Bilateral Immunity Agreements, International Criminal Court (ICC), International Criminal Justice, United States | Leave a comment

Unfortunate but Unsurprising? Obama Undermines the ICC

In the brief history of the International Criminal Court (ICC), few issues have received as much attention – from the Court, the human rights community and academics – than the relationship between the United States and the Court. Last week, … Continue reading

Posted in Article 98, Bilateral Immunity Agreements, International Criminal Court (ICC), International Law, Mali, United States | 3 Comments

Trials and Tribulations at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon

Earlier this month, the first trials at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) finally got under way. Karlijn van der Voort joins JiC for this very timely overview of the many difficulties and challenges facing this unique tribunal. Karlijn is a … Continue reading

Posted in International Criminal Justice, International Law, Lebanon, Special Tribunal for Lebanon, Terrorism | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Peace versus Justice in Syria

As talks between the Syrian government and Syrian opposition stumble in the opening phases of the so-called Geneva II negotiations, a hot topic is whether those parties responsible for atrocity crimes in Syria can and should be prosecuted. Of course, this … Continue reading

Posted in Peace Negotiations, Syria | Tagged , | 3 Comments

The ICC in Afghanistan: Peace, Justice and Accountability

Djeyhoun Ostowar joins JiC for this fascinating glimpse into some of the key issues and dilemmas that frame any potential intervention by the International Criminal Court into Afghanistan. Djeyhoun is a PhD student at the War Studies Department of King’s College … Continue reading

Posted in Afghanistan, International Criminal Court (ICC), International Criminal Justice | Tagged | 1 Comment

Iraq’s Long Shadow of Injustice Haunts Britain

Earlier this week, I wrote a post on the filing of a complaint at the International Criminal Court (ICC) over alleged abuses committed by UK officials in Iraq. On Tuesday, I attended the official launch of the complaint at the … Continue reading

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

Rethinking Amnesty and Accountability

On 2 January 2014, Nepal’s Supreme Court ordered the Nepalese Government to amend a law to establish a truth commission with the power to recommend amnesty. The Court also instructed the government to establish a team comprising conflict experts, victims’ … Continue reading

Posted in Amnesty, Guest Posts, Nepal | Tagged , | 1 Comment

The ICC and Iraq: “A Pinochet Moment”?

A formal complaint has been lodged at the International Criminal Court (ICC) requesting that senior British military and political officials – including General Sir Peter Wall, former Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon and former Defence Minister Adam Ingram – be investigated for their alleged … Continue reading

Posted in International Criminal Court (ICC), Iraq | 5 Comments

A Snowball’s Chance in Cairo: The ICC To Intervene in Egypt?

A group of international lawyers and legal scholars representing the Muslim Brotherhood are pushing for the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate alleged crimes committed in Egypt. According to The Globe and Mail’s Paul Waldie, the Brotherhood’s legal team believe that … Continue reading

Posted in Egypt, International Criminal Court (ICC), Palestine, Palestine and the ICC | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Happy 2014 from JiC (Plus Predictions)!

Dear readers, Happy New Years! 2013 brought a host of fascinating developments in the world of international criminal justice. With around a 100 posts, our regular contributors, guest-posters and I myself tried to cover as much as we could and … Continue reading

Posted in JiC News | 2 Comments