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.

Taking Bensouda’s Reins: Who Will Take Over as the ICC Deputy Prosecutor?

Readers are likely well aware that Fatou Bensouda became the ICC’s Chief Prosecutor earlier this year. Before becoming Prosecutor, Bensouda had previously served as the ICC’s Deputy Prosecutor under Luis Moreno-Ocampo. Now, however, it is time for the Office of … Continue reading

Posted in Elections, ICC Prosecutor, International Criminal Court (ICC) | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Buying Justice: The Cost of Justice in Libya

In my last post, I noted that there was little-to-no information, much less verified information, about what convinced Mauritania to extradite Muammar Gaddafi’s former right-hand man, Abdullah al-Senussi, to Libya. After being held in the capital of Nouakchott (in a … Continue reading

Posted in Justice, Libya, Libya and the ICC, Mauritania | Tagged | 1 Comment

Senussi Extradited to Libya: Some Thoughts on What it Means

The first images of Abdullah al-Senussi since the end of Libyan revolution littered social media sites yesterday as the Gaddafi regime’s “eyes and ears”, “blackbox” and “henchman” arrived in Libya after being extradited to Libya from Mauritania. There he was, somewhat … Continue reading

Posted in Admissibility, Complementarity, International Criminal Court (ICC), Justice, Libya, Libya and the ICC, Mauritania | Leave a comment

A Little Less Isolated and a Lot More Troubling: Ban Ki-moon Meets Bashir

Attempts to isolate and marginalize Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir have been mixed at best. The man many people believe is ultimately responsible for the violence and misery of Darfur – and who has been indicted by the International Criminal Court … Continue reading

Posted in Darfur, Genocide, International Criminal Court (ICC), Sudan, United Nations | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Go for it: Assad Supporters ask ICC to Investigate Syria

Few doubt the need for justice in Syria. After a year and a half of unrest, escalating violence, forced displacement and thousands of deaths, the case for a judicial intervention, by the International Criminal Court (ICC) or some other international tribunal, … Continue reading

Posted in International Criminal Court (ICC), Syria | 3 Comments

The US and the ICC: Why a Closer Relationship isn’t Necessarily a Good Thing

Few issues have captured as much attention in the politics of international criminal justice as the relationship between the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the United States. Indeed, it is ironic that as much, if not more, time has been … Continue reading

Posted in Darfur, International Criminal Court (ICC), Justice, Libya, Libya and the ICC, Rome Statute ratifications, Uganda, United States | 19 Comments

The Best Evidence Yet that Kony is in Darfur?

As the hunt for Joseph Kony continues, all signs indicate that the notorious leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) won’t be found – at least not where regional East African military forces are currently looking for him. More persuasive evidence … Continue reading

Posted in Central African Republic (CAR), Democratic Republic of Congo, Human Rights, Humanitarian Intervention, Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), South Sudan, Southern Sudan, Sudan | Tagged | 3 Comments

Prosecuting crimes against cultural property in Northern Mali: Why it Matters

Jelia Sane joins us for this must-read post on the ICC’s investigation of cultural crimes in Mali. Jelia holds an LLM in Public International Law from University College London and has previously interned at the Appeals Chamber of the ICC, … Continue reading

Posted in International Criminal Court (ICC), International Law, Mali | Tagged , , | 9 Comments

Libya vs. The ICC: Stalemate over Saif and Senussi

I recently had the opportunity to write a piece for the great folks at Think Africa Press on the ongoing battle between the ICC and Libya over the custody of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi and Abdullah al-Senussi. It covers much of … Continue reading

Posted in Admissibility, Defense Counsel, ICC Prosecutor, International Criminal Court (ICC), Justice, Libya, Libya and the ICC | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Saif wants to be tried at the ICC – But that’s not all

Late last week, the Office of Public Counsel for the Defence (OPCD), which has been representing Saif al-Islam Gaddafi at the ICC, filed its official response to Libya’s admissibility challenge at the ICC. The impressive report, a whopping 92-pages long, should … Continue reading

Posted in Defense Counsel, Libya, Libya and the ICC, The Tripoli Three (Tripoli3) | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments