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.

ICC Rules: Saif Gaddafi Should be Tried in The Hague, Not Libya

Judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) have finally ruled on Libya’s admissibility challenge regarding Saif al-Islam Gadadfi. The ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber has decided against Libya’s request to try Saif in Libya and have reiterated their demand that Saif be surrendered … Continue reading

Posted in Admissibility, International Criminal Court (ICC), Libya, Libya and the ICC | Tagged | 2 Comments

Africa and the ICC: Some Unsolicited Advice

Allegations that the International Criminal Court (ICC) is biased against Africa aren’t going away. On the contrary, in the wake of the victory of Uhuru Kenyatta in Kenya’s recent Presidential elections, they seem to be increasingly common. Most recently, at … Continue reading

Posted in African Union (AU), International Criminal Court (ICC), UN Security Council, United States | Tagged , , , , | 34 Comments

The ICC and North Korea: Let’s Talk Justice

The International Criminal Court and North Korea. It is remarkable how seldom these two have been used in the same sentence. This despite the fact that perhaps no regime since the end of WWII has benefitted from impunity more than … Continue reading

Posted in International Criminal Court (ICC), North Korea, UN Security Council | Tagged | 2 Comments

Information is Beautiful, International Criminal Justice Style

Kevin Jon Heller at Opinion Juris beat me to the punch, but this is most definitely worth sharing with JiC readers. Daniel McLaughlin, who has been a legal officer at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) and is … Continue reading

Posted in ICTY, International Criminal Court (ICC), International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), International Law, Special Court for SIerra Leone (SCSL), Special Tribunal for Lebanon | Tagged | 1 Comment

Backstage at the ICC: A Review of ‘The Court’

To many, if not most, the International Criminal Court (ICC) still looms like an impenetrable institution where the decisions made and actions taken in The Hague subsequently reverberate around the world. This isn’t to say that it’s a murky world … Continue reading

Posted in Fatou Bensouda, Film, ICC Prosecutor, International Criminal Court (ICC), International Law | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

How the ICC’s Website is Undermining the Court – and Justice

In the world of international criminal justice, it would be easy to think that the ICC’s website is a trivial matter. But it’s not. So I was thrilled to read that Kevin Jon Heller has written a brief but critically … Continue reading

Posted in International Criminal Court (ICC), Outreach | 6 Comments

A Bizarre Snowball’s Chance in Hell: Kenya Asks Security Council to Terminate Kenyatta Case at the ICC

International criminal justice has had its share of bizarre moments. We’ve seen seemingly untouchable indictees turn themselves in to foreign embassies and request to be sent to The Hague. We’ve seen enemy indictees unite to win elections. We’ve seen indictees … Continue reading

Posted in International Criminal Court (ICC), Justice, Kenya, Kenya and the ICC, UN Security Council | Tagged , | 25 Comments

Truth, Reconciliation and Canada’s ‘Cultural Genocide’: Notes from a Truth Commission

Andrea Russell joins JiC this week for a timely post on the Canadian Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) which is examining the impact and legacy of the Indian Residential Schools system in Canada. Andrea recently attended one of the TRC’s national events in Montreal … Continue reading

Posted in Canada, Truth and Reconciliation Commissions | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Facebook Likes Don’t Save Lives

As readers will know, I have regularly commented on the relationship between social media and social activism. In the wake of Invisible Children’s KONY2012 and a growing body of literature on the subject, it has been impossible for anyone interested … Continue reading

Posted in Activism, Film, Social Media | Tagged | 5 Comments

ICC Prosecution of Kenyatta Takes a Hit

The Kenya cases were never going to be easy for the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the going only got tougher following the election of Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto, both of whom have been indicted by the ICC for … Continue reading

Posted in Defense Counsel, ICC Prosecutor, International Criminal Court (ICC), Kenya, Kenya and the ICC | Tagged , | 3 Comments