Author Archives: Patrick Wegner

About Patrick Wegner

PhD student at the University of Tübingen and the Max-Planck-Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law. Working on the impact of International Criminal Court investigations on ongoing intrastate conflicts.

Fifth ICC Warrant in Darfur Case Announced – Sudanese Minister of Defence Indicted

Posted on December 2, 2011 by Patrick Wegner

It is a busy week for criminal justice and for Sudan in particular. On Monday, the Kenyan High Court issued a domestic arrest warrant against Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir. Today, Friday 2nd of December 2011, Luís Moreno-Ocampo requested the Pre-Trial … Continue reading →

Posted in African Union (AU), Crimes against humanity, Darfur, ICC Prosecutor, International Criminal Court (ICC), Sudan, UN Security Council, War crimes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Tightening the Noose? The Kenyan Arrest Warrant against President al-Bashir

Posted on November 30, 2011 by Patrick Wegner

Reuters was amongst the first to report that the Kenyan High Court had issued a domestic arrest warrant against the Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on Monday, November 28. Bashir was the first head of state indicted by the International Criminal … Continue reading →

Posted in African Union (AU), China, Crimes against humanity, Darfur, International Criminal Court (ICC), Kenya, Malaysia, Peace Processes, Southern Sudan, Sudan, Uganda, War crimes | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia: Reconciling Torn Societies?

Posted on November 21, 2011 by Patrick Wegner

I have always been of the opinion that we need to closely scrutinize the effects that are being attributed to international trials. There is a tendency to conflate the objectives and capabilities of international courts and tribunals by putting forward … Continue reading →

Posted in Apologies, ICTY, Ratko Mladic, Serbia, Slobodan Milosevic, War crimes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Justice in Conflicts: What’s all the Fuss About?

Posted on November 16, 2011 by Patrick Wegner

When I first found this blog, weeks before becoming a regular author, I was excited. I thought it covered an angle of the transitional justice debate that had so far been neglected, and I would like to take the time … Continue reading →

Posted in Justice, Peace Processes, Peacebuilding, Responsibiltiy to Protect (R2P), Transitional Justice, UN Security Council, Uncategorized, War crimes | 1 Comment

US Troop Deployment Revisited – The Hunt for Kony

Posted on November 3, 2011 by Patrick Wegner

US President Barack Obama’s decision to send 100 combat armed military advisors to Uganda, Central African Republic (CAR), the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Southern Sudan made worldwide headlines about three weeks ago. The controversial decision and discussions about … Continue reading →

Posted in Democratic Republic of Congo, International Criminal Court (ICC), Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), Southern Sudan, Uganda, United States | 2 Comments

International Criminal Law and Deterrence – A Pointless Endeavour?

Posted on October 25, 2011 by Patrick Wegner

One of the main arguments of advocates of international criminal law is that indicting and trying perpetrators of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide will contribute to stopping similar violations in the future. The Chief Prosecutor of the International … Continue reading →

Posted in Darfur, Deterrence, International Criminal Court (ICC), Southern Sudan, Sudan, Uganda | Leave a comment

ICC Complementarity, Positive Peace and Comprehensive Approaches in Transitional Justice

Posted on October 13, 2011 by Patrick Wegner

Even though much of the literature on Transitional Justice still focuses on unhelpful dichotomies like peace versus justice or trials versus amnesties the concepts that are being applied to tackle the legacies of violent conflicts in practice are increasingly comprehensive. … Continue reading →

Posted in Amnesty, Complementarity, International Criminal Court (ICC), Justice, Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), Traditional Justice Mechanisms, Transitional Justice, Truth and Reconciliation Commissions, Uganda | 4 Comments

Self-Referrals and Lack of Transparency at the ICC – The Case of Northern Uganda

Posted on October 4, 2011 by Patrick Wegner

Nobody could know for certain how the International Criminal Court would work in practice when the Rome Statute was adopted in 1998. The first surprise was the speed at which the Statute was ratified by the 60 states necessary for … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Rights, ICC Prosecutor, International Criminal Court (ICC), Justice, Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), Uganda | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

The Hypocrisy of Demanding Justice Without Enforcing It

Posted on September 22, 2011 by Patrick Wegner

In questions of justice in conflicts authors have often described a marked divide between the interests of Western countries and the needs of the local populations directly affected by the conflict on the ground. Two prominent examples are Roy Licklider, … Continue reading →

Posted in African Union (AU), Darfur, IDP, International Criminal Court (ICC), Peace Negotiations, Sudan | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Squashing the Amnesty Law in Uganda? Possible Implications of the Kwoyelo Trial

Posted on September 12, 2011 by Patrick Wegner

Regular readers of this blog will be aware of the Kwoyelo Trial at the International Crimes Division (ICD) of the Ugandan High Court. Thomas Kwoyelo was a high ranking LRA Commander who was arrested in the DRC in 2009 and … Continue reading →

Posted in Amnesty, Kwoyelo Trial, Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), Transitional Justice, Uganda | 8 Comments