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.

If Simone Gbagbo ends up in The Hague, She won’t be the First

As readers will know, the ICC has unsealed an arrest warrant for Simone Gbagbo, becoming the first woman indicted by the Court. Today, Janet Anderson joins JiC for this timely background post on women who have been tried at international criminal tribunals. … Continue reading

Posted in Crimes against humanity, Genocide, ICTY, International Criminal Court (ICC), International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), Ivory Coast / Côte d'Ivoire, Ivory Coast and the ICC, Serbia | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

The ICC to Investigate Libyan Rebel Crimes? We’ll See.

Over the past few days, a number of individuals have contacted me to ask about a statement in which ICC Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda told the United Nations Security Council that her office was investigating rebel crimes committed during the … Continue reading

Posted in Crimes against humanity, Genocide, Justice, Libya, Libya and the ICC, UN Security Council, War crimes | Tagged , | 2 Comments

The aftermath of the ICTY’s Gotovina Trial: Due process and Historical truth

The following is a guest-post by Rhodri C. Williams, a human rights consultant and commentator who recently began working on rule of law issues in Libya with the International Legal Assistance Consortium. Rhodri also writes at his fantastic  TerraNullius blog. In this … Continue reading

Posted in Balkans, Croatia, ICTY, Serbia | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Whither Victim Participation?

The following is a guest-post by Chris Tenove, a doctoral candidate in Political Science at the University of British Columbia where his research explores the political and ethical dilemmas of global governance for international criminal justice and humanitarianism. Chris also runs an … Continue reading

Posted in Assembly of States Parties, ICC Prosecutor, International Criminal Court (ICC), Victim Participation | Tagged | 7 Comments

The Politics of ICC Referrals – A Proposal

In the wake of the military and judicial interventions in Libya, this blog has often criticized the relationship between the UN Security Council and the International Criminal Court (ICC). The criticisms are well-known to most readers and hinge on the premise that … Continue reading

Posted in ICC Prosecutor, International Criminal Court (ICC), UN Security Council | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

A ‘Shot’ of Canada at the Nuremberg Trials

Dear readers, I recently had the unforgettable opportunity of visiting the premises of the Nuremberg International Military Tribunals, where senior officials of the Nazi regime – including Herman Goering, Rudolph Hess and Albert Speer, amongst others – were tried following … Continue reading

Posted in Canada, International Law, Justice, Nuremberg, Nuremberg Trials | Tagged | 8 Comments

Obama and the ICC – Four Reasons Not to Hold Your Breath

It wasn’t nearly as close as the pundits and media suggested. As of writing, it seems that Barack Obama may have defeated Mitt Romney by as many as 100 electoral college votes in the United States Presidential election. Many Americans … Continue reading

Posted in Drones, International Criminal Court (ICC), Israel, Palestine, Palestine and the ICC, United States | 3 Comments

Outsourcing Justice to the ICC – What Should Be Done?

Few issues have instigated as much controversy in the field of international criminal justice as the question of where International Criminal Court (ICC) indictees should be brought to justice. The majority of attention has been focused on instances when states … Continue reading

Posted in Complementarity, ICC Prosecutor, International Criminal Court (ICC), International Law, Ivory Coast / Côte d'Ivoire, Ivory Coast and the ICC, Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), Uganda | 6 Comments

Missing the Mark: The ICC on its Relationship with the UN Security Council

Last week, for the first time since the International Criminal Court (ICC) was established, the United Nations Security Council debated its relationship with the Court. After two Security Council referrals (Darfur 2005 and Libya 2011), it was high time that … Continue reading

Posted in Darfur, ICC Prosecutor, International Criminal Court (ICC), Libya, Libya and the ICC, Sudan, UN Security Council | 7 Comments

Rewards for Justice: The US Takes a Step Closer to the ICC

It appears that the United States is inching towards a much closer legal, political and institutional relationship with the International Criminal Court (ICC). This may come as a surprise given that the US is currently mired in another tumultuous Presidential … Continue reading

Posted in ICTY, International Criminal Court (ICC), International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), Justice, United States | Tagged , | 1 Comment