Category Archives: Crimes against humanity

Lifting Immunity, Resolving Impunity? The Case for an Immunity Exception in a Future Crimes Against Humanity Convention

Posted on September 24, 2025 by Mark Kersten

Mayya Chaykina join JiC for this post on the issue of immunities in the proposed Crimes Against Humanity Convention. Mayya is a master’s student in law at Sciences Po Paris. Her work focuses on international criminal law, mass atrocity prevention, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Crimes against humanity, Guest Posts, United Nations, United Nations General Assembly | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Catching perpetrators to prosecute them abroad: could piecemeal justice contribute to comprehensive accountability for atrocities committed in Gaza?

Posted on August 11, 2025 by Mark Kersten

They thought they’d enjoy the festival, maybe a waffle and a Hoegaarden. Instead, the two Israeli soldiers were detained and questioned by Belgian police after facing allegations of war crimes stemming from the Hind Rajab Foundation, an organization set up to track soldiers … Continue reading →

Posted in Canada, Crimes against humanity, Gaza, Genocide, Israel, Palestine, Palestine and the ICC, Syria, Universal Jurisdiction, War crimes | Tagged | Leave a comment

Sifting through speculation: What we do and don’t know about Canada’s Structural Investigation into the Israel-Hamas War

Posted on July 15, 2025 by Mark Kersten

In the wake of the recent revelation that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) had opened a structural investigation into international crimes committed during the Israeli-Hamas conflict in early 2024, many have projected their gravest fears, and greatest hopes, on what an … Continue reading →

Posted in Canada, Crimes against humanity, Gaza, Genocide, International Criminal Court (ICC), Israel, Palestine, RCMP Structural Investigation, Universal Jurisdiction, War crimes, West Bank | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

‘The greatest danger is in failing to recognize that societies can be structured to make atrocity normal’: From Yugoslav Atrocity Perpetrators to Intergenerational Extremism

Posted on June 20, 2025 by Mark Kersten

The following is Dr. Mirza Buljubašić‘s contribution to JiC’s ongoing symposium on Alette Smeulers’ new book “Perpetrators of Mass Atrocities Terribly and Terrifyingly Normal?”. Buljubašić is a criminologist with a PhD, MA, and BA in Criminology, as well as degrees in Criminal … Continue reading →

Posted in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Crimes against humanity, International Criminal Justice, Symposium Introduction - A JiC Symposium on Alette Smeulers'  "Perpetrators of Mass Atrocities Terribly and Terrifyingly Normal?, War crimes | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

‘What are perpetrators actually doing, and to whom?’ A call to focus on the actions of perpetrators of mass atrocities

Posted on June 19, 2025 by Mark Kersten

The following contribution to JiC’s ongoing symposium on Alette Smeulers’  “Perpetrators of Mass Atrocities Terribly and Terrifyingly Normal?” comes from Dr. Iva Vukušić, an Assistant Professor of International History at Utrecht University, the Netherlands. You can access all contributions to … Continue reading →

Posted in Alette Smeulers, Crimes against humanity, Genocide, War crimes | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The Traumatized Perpetrator – “I actually murdered somebody. I felt very bad about that and I just wanted to run away.”

Posted on June 19, 2025 by Mark Kersten

The following contribution by Bart Nauta is part of JiC’s ongoing symposium on Alette Smeulers’ new book “Perpetrators of Mass Atrocities Terribly and Terrifyingly Normal?”. Bart is a historian and interdisciplinary researcher at ARQ National Psychotrauma Centre and a PhD … Continue reading →

Posted in Argentina, Crimes against humanity, South Africa, Symposium Introduction - A JiC Symposium on Alette Smeulers'  "Perpetrators of Mass Atrocities Terribly and Terrifyingly Normal?, Vietnam, War crimes | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Introduction – A JiC Symposium on Alette Smeulers’  “Perpetrators of Mass Atrocities Terribly and Terrifyingly Normal?”

Posted on June 18, 2025 by Mark Kersten

What forces make and shape perpetrators of mass atrocities? What makes them tick and ultimately resort to horrific violence? What explains their behaviour, and their decision to resort to the commission of international crimes? What can understanding different motivations and … Continue reading →

Posted in Crimes against humanity, Genocide, International Criminal Justice, Symposium Introduction - A JiC Symposium on Alette Smeulers'  "Perpetrators of Mass Atrocities Terribly and Terrifyingly Normal?, Transitional Justice, War crimes | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Trump’s Gaza “Plan” would mean committing every core international crime

Posted on February 6, 2025 by Mark Kersten

It is hard to keep track of the number of international crimes being proposed in Washington as a response to the destruction of Gaza. There are solid arguments to be made that President Donald Trump’s “plan” for the United States to “own” … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime of Aggression, Crimes against humanity, Gaza, Genocide, ICC Prosecutor, International Criminal Court (ICC), Israel, Palestine, United States, War crimes | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Justice for the Missing and Disappeared: A landmark report on the ongoing need for accountability for the atrocities committed against Indigenous children in and by Canada

Posted on November 11, 2024 by Mark Kersten

Dear JiC readers, In late October 2024, The Office of the Independent Special Interlocutor for Missing Children and Unmarked Graves and Burial Sites associated with Indian Residential Schools released its final report and submitted it to the government of Canada. … Continue reading →

Posted in Amnesty, Canada, Crimes against humanity, Genocide, Indigenous Peoples, International Criminal Court (ICC), Torture | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

After One Year, We Can Fully See the Gendered Costs of the Ukraine War

Posted on March 7, 2023 by Mark Kersten

Gwen Battis joins JiC for this guest post on the gendered costs of Russia’s invasion and the war in Ukraine. Gwen is a graduate student at the University of Denver studying International and Intercultural Communication. It has been one year since … Continue reading →

Posted in Crimes against humanity, Gender, Russia, Sexual and Gender Based Violence, Ukraine, War crimes | 1 Comment