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.

Gerry Adams’s Arrest: A Case of Peace vs. Justice?

The arrest of Gerry Adams, the President of Sinn Féin, on allegations that he was involved in the abduction and killing of Jean McConville in 1972 has caused quite the stir. Many are wondering what the implications of Adams’s arrest will be … Continue reading →

Posted in Northern Ireland, Peace Processes, United Kingdom | 5 Comments

ICC Says No to Opening Investigation in Egypt

Ever since the Arab Spring and the overthrow of the Hosni Mubarak regime, Egypt has had a rather fluctuant and controversial political relationship with the International Criminal Court (ICC). Today, that relationship took yet another turn. Earlier this year, a number of … Continue reading →

Posted in Arab Spring, Egypt, ICC Prosecutor, ICC Registry, International Criminal Court (ICC) | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Three Reasons Why the ICC Intervenes in Ongoing and Active Conflicts

An ongoing and active debate amongst virtually anyone interested in international criminal justice is whether the International Criminal Court (ICC) should or shouldn’t intervene in ongoing and active conflicts. Proponents generally maintain that the ICC can have positive impacts on bringing live conflicts … Continue reading →

Posted in Conflict Resolution, International Criminal Court (ICC), Justice, Kenya, Kenya and the ICC, Libya, Libya and the ICC, Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), Peace Processes, Uganda | 3 Comments

If the Rwandan Genocide Happened Today, Would We Get It?

The story is familiar. When the killing started, everyone who was able to flee did so. As unprecedented violence erupted in Rwanda, Westerners boarded planes that whisked them back to safety. A few UN peacekeepers stayed but, as famously recounted by … Continue reading →

Posted in Central African Republic (CAR), Genocide, Journalism, Justice, Rwanda | 3 Comments

If the ICC Intervened in Ukraine, Russia Probably Wouldn’t Mind

  According to the Registrar of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Herman von Hebel, Ukraine has accepted ICC jurisdiction over alleged crimes that occurred on Ukrainian territory between between 21 November 2013 and 22 February 2014. This limited period covers government attacks on … Continue reading →

Posted in International Criminal Court (ICC), Russia, Ukraine | Leave a comment

7 Random Thoughts on Justice and Stuff

A lot has happened in the world of international justice since my last post at JiC. So here are 7 stories and thoughts on the ICC and other justice-related stuff from recent weeks. 1. A Strong and Weak ICC? It … Continue reading →

Posted in Admissibility, Complementarity, Crime of Aggression, Humanitarian Intervention, ICC Prosecutor, International Criminal Court (ICC), International Law, Justice, Kenya, Kenya and the ICC, Libya, Libya and the ICC, Palestine, Palestine and the ICC, Peace Negotiations, Responsibiltiy to Protect (R2P), Transitional Justice, UN Security Council | Leave a comment

A Futile Endeavour: Croatia v. Serbia at the ICJ

Iva Vukusic reports for JiC on the legal dispute between Serbia and Croatia at the International Court of Justice over the alleged commission of genocide during the early 1990s. Iva is a former journalist, analyst in the Special War Crimes Department of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Croatia, Genocide, Guest Posts, ICTY, International Court of Justice, Serbia | Tagged | 5 Comments

Acquitted by Law, Prosecuted by Propaganda

Caroline Buisman and Kate Gibson join JiC for this post on Rwandan General Gratien Kabiligi who was acquitted by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) in 2008. Caroline and Kate were members of the defence team of Kabiligi during his trial … Continue reading →

Posted in Defense Counsel, Guest Posts, International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), Journalism, Rwanda | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

The ICC’s End Days? Not So Fast

Alex Whiting joins JiC for this incisive guest-post response to Dov Jacobs’ recent analysis of the ‘legacy’ of the Katanga judgement. Alex is a Professor of Practice at Harvard Law School where he focuses on international and domestic prosecution issues. … Continue reading →

Posted in Germain Katanga, ICC Prosecutor, International Criminal Court (ICC) | Tagged , | 5 Comments

New Opportunities for Justice in Sri Lanka?

Very few people doubt that crimes under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC) were committed during Sri Lanka’s bloody civil war – especially in the final days of the conflict when military and security forces crushed the remaining … Continue reading →

Posted in Commission of Inquiry, Crimes against humanity, Sri Lanka | 1 Comment