Category Archives: Canada

Let’s Avoid Politicizing the Genocide Against Yazidis

Posted on July 4, 2016 by Mark Kersten

There is no doubt that genocidal acts have been perpetrated against the Yazidi people by the Islamic State (ISIS). A recent report by United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Syria has given credence to political declarations in the United States, … Continue reading →

Posted in Canada, Commission for International Justice and Accountability (CIJA), Genocide, International Criminal Court (ICC), International Justice Ambassador, Iraq, ISIS, Islamic State, Syria, Terrorism, UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria, United Kingdom, United Nations, United States, Yazidi Genocide | Tagged | 13 Comments

A Matter of Justice, Not Immigration: What to do with War Criminals posing as Refugees

Posted on March 7, 2016 by Mark Kersten

Rumours that terrorists have been hiding themselves among Syrian refugees and asylum seekers embarking for the shores and capitals Europe are nothing new. Especially in the wake of the Paris attacks last year, it was widely reported that groups like … Continue reading →

Posted in Canada, Europe, International Criminal Justice, Refugees, Syria, The Netherlands | 11 Comments

Please Stop Bean-Counting Syrian refugees

Posted on February 2, 2016 by Mark Kersten

For months, the international community has been clamouring to find an appropriate response to address the plight of hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing violence and terror in Syria. But much of the debate about what states can and should … Continue reading →

Posted in Canada, Refugees, Syria | 3 Comments

Canada’s Back: Let it be – and have – an Ambassador of International Justice

Posted on October 22, 2015 by Mark Kersten

Human rights and international justice advocates around the world breathed a collective sigh of relief this past week. After ten years in power, the Conservative government of Stephen Harper was replaced in a massive defeat at the hands of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Canada, Human Rights, International Criminal Justice, International Law | Tagged , | 7 Comments

Public Letter: How Canada Can Reclaim Its Reputation for International Justice

Posted on October 10, 2015 by Mark Kersten

As scholars and observers of international criminal justice, the easiest thing for us to do is to point out the project’s shortcomings and flaws. It is easy to criticize states that don’t support the Court when they should, to condemn … Continue reading →

Posted in Canada, International Criminal Court (ICC), International Criminal Justice | 2 Comments

How the Canadian Government’s Pursuit of ‘Justice’ Makes Canadians and the World Less Secure

Posted on October 7, 2015 by Mark Kersten

Canada currently finds itself in the midst of a historically long election. Perhaps more so than any other campaign in recent memory, the world is paying attention. Will Canadians re-elect a government that has tarnished the country’s global reputation on … Continue reading →

Posted in Canada, Human Rights, International Law, Justice, Terrorism, War crimes | Tagged | 3 Comments

Changing the Way We Talk To, and About, Each Other: Nation-Building and Aboriginal Abuses in Canada

Posted on June 10, 2015 by Mark Kersten

The statistics are shocking, the numbers unbecoming of a modern, liberal, and democratic state like Canada. And yet, when Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission released its long-awaited report last week, many Canadians were likely surprised to be confronted with the … Continue reading →

Posted in Canada, Truth and Reconciliation Commissions, Truth Commission | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

On the ICC in Palestine, Canada Crosses the Line

Posted on January 20, 2015 by Mark Kersten

On a stop in Jerusalem during his visit to Israel and Palestine earlier this week, Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird emphatically declared that, in joining the International Criminal Court (ICC), Palestinians had “made a huge mistake”. Baird’s remarks coincided with … Continue reading →

Posted in Canada, International Criminal Court (ICC), International Criminal Justice, Israel, Palestine, Palestine and the ICC | Tagged | 5 Comments

Canada vs ISIS: An Inscrutable Justice

Posted on November 28, 2014 by Mark Kersten

Asad Kiyani joins JiC for this post on Canada engagement against ISIS – and what it means for Canada’s role in the Middle East and the pursuit of international justice. Asad is a Doctoral Candidate at the UBC Faculty of Law and … Continue reading →

Posted in Canada, International Criminal Court (ICC), International Law, Iran, Iraq, ISIS, Syria | Tagged | Leave a comment

An Uncomfortable Look in the Mirror: Canada in the World, Before and After the Ottawa Shootings

Posted on October 24, 2014 by Mark Kersten

Amongst many Canadians, a popular response to the shootings in Ottawa that claimed the life of Nathan Cirillo earlier this week has been: “This doesn’t happen here… This is Canada.” And that’s true enough. Political violence of the sort we … Continue reading →

Posted in Canada | Tagged | 13 Comments