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.

Colombia and the International Criminal Court: New Prosecutor, New Standards?

Mariana Rodriguez-Pareja and Salvador Herencia-Carrasco join us again for this guest-post on the ICC and Colombia. Mariana is the Director of the Human Rights Program at Asuntos del Sur. Salvador is an LL.M. University of Ottawa, a human rights lawyer based in … Continue reading

Posted in Colombia, Guest Posts, Justice, Latin America, Sexual Violence | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

The Impact of the Taylor Trial in Sierra Leone and Liberia

Annie Gell joins us with this guest-post on the impact of the Charles Taylor trial in Sierra Leone and Liberia. Annie is the Leonard H. Sandler fellow in the International Justice Program at Human Rights Watch (HRW). Immediately before joining HRW, Annie … Continue reading

Posted in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Special Court for SIerra Leone (SCSL) | Tagged | 3 Comments

Music on Trial: Genocide and Musicians

The following is a unique and fascinating guest-post by Catherine Baker,  a Lecturer in 20th Century History at the University of Hull (from August 2012). Catherine is the author of Sounds of the Borderland: Popular Music, War and Nationalism in Croatia … Continue reading

Posted in Genocide, ICTY, International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), International Law, Justice, Kenya | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

The ICC in Mali: Just Another ICC Intervention in Africa?

So there you have it: the first investigation opened by Fatou Bensouda, the ICC’s new Chief Prosecutor, will be in Africa. The ICC’s Office of the Prosecution (OTP) accepted a request by Malian government authorities for the Court to intervene … Continue reading

Posted in African Union (AU), Fatou Bensouda, International Criminal Court (ICC), Mali | Tagged | 9 Comments

Justice through Graffiti and Cartoons in Syria

A fascinating and common trend amongst ‘Arab Spring’ states has been the use of imagery, particularly graffiti and cartoons, to denigrate bloodthirsty leaders, to express exasperation with repressive regimes, and to evoke hope for a different and altogether more peaceful … Continue reading

Posted in Activism, Advocacy, Justice, Syria | Tagged | Leave a comment

The ICC in Syria: A Ticking-Time Security Council Referral?

Like so many others, I find myself in the morally and politically ambiguous position of having no clue what the international community should do to stop the ongoing violence in Syria, recently described as descending into “a sectarian wasteland”. The … Continue reading

Posted in International Criminal Court (ICC), Justice, Syria, UN Security Council | Tagged , | 7 Comments

The ICC: Three Remarkable Achievements

The ICC recently celebrated its tenth anniversary amidst heavy criticism of its international role and impact. Some of the criticism is valid, a lot of it misrepresents the mandate and role of the ICC. Regardless, in this context, after some … Continue reading

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

Melinda Taylor and the ‘ICC4’ Released: Five Pressing Questions

It is a huge relief to be able to write that Melinda Taylor, Helene Assaf, Alexander Khodakov, and Esteban Peralta Losilla were released from Libya on Monday and have returned to be reunited with their families. The four had spent nearly … Continue reading

Posted in International Criminal Court (ICC), Libya, Libya and the ICC | Tagged , , , , , | 15 Comments

Can International Justice Tribune Die? No!

Dear readers, I wanted to alert you to rather sad news. Many of you will already be aware that RNW – International Justice Tribune, an indispensable and widely respected resource for global and transitional justice news will no longer be … Continue reading

Posted in Advocacy, JiC News | 2 Comments

Can the ICC Deliver Impartial Justice?

My apologies for not blogging much over the last few days. I have just returned from a long-awaited and much-needed vacation but promise to get writing more substantially soon. In any case, I thought readers might be interested in an … Continue reading

Posted in International Criminal Court (ICC), Interviews, Justice | Leave a comment