Category Archives: International Criminal Justice

More of the same, or changes on the way? For the first time in a decade, the Canadian War Crimes Program sheds light on what it has been up to.

Posted on December 18, 2025 by Mark Kersten

Atrocities in Sudan, Gaza, and Ukraine raise a question: do people in countries far away, like Canada, have a role in addressing the suffering of others? While these conflicts can appear remote, affecting only distant strangers, the horrors they produce … Continue reading →

Posted in Ahmed Eldidi, Canada, Canadian War Crimes Program, Gaza, Hamas, International Criminal Justice, Islamic State, Israel, Palestine, RCMP Structural Investigation, Structural Investigation, Ukraine, Universal Jurisdiction, War crimes | Tagged | 2 Comments

A litmus test for commitment to international law: Germany needs to speak up and protect the ICC

Posted on October 21, 2025 by Mark Kersten

The following is a guest-post by Maxine Rubin on the relationship between Germany and the International Criminal Court. Maxine is a Research Fellow and the Editor of Africa Spectrum, at the German Institute for Global and Area Studies. She has … Continue reading →

Posted in Germany, Guest Posts, ICC Prosecutor, International Criminal Court (ICC), International Criminal Justice, Israel, Palestine, Palestine and the ICC | Leave a comment

Algorithms, Automation and Accountability: Imagining Responsibility for the Crimes of Machines

Posted on August 6, 2025 by Mark Kersten

The following is a guest post by Masoud Zamani is a lecturer in international law and international relations at the University of British Columbia. His research focuses on the intersection of emerging technologies and international legal accountability. In recent years, … Continue reading →

Posted in Drones, Guest Posts, International Criminal Court (ICC), International Criminal Justice, lethal autonomous weapon systems, War crimes | Tagged | 1 Comment

How understanding atrocity perpetrators requires and benefits from a multi-angled approach – A response to commentaries and critiques 

Posted on July 17, 2025 by Mark Kersten

The following article by Alette Smeulers is a response to the contributions to JiC’s recent symposium on Alette’s book, Perpetrators of Mass Atrocities Terribly and Terrifyingly Normal?. Alette is a professor at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. Her research … Continue reading →

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

Courts in Conversation: The International Criminal Court, the International Court of Justice and their mutual and respective roles in Addressing International Crimes

Posted on July 10, 2025 by Mark Kersten

The following essay examines the relationship between the ICJ and the ICC, at a time when both courts have increasingly found themselves seized of the same situations of mass atrocity crimes, including in Gaza, Myanmar, Ukraine and Afghanistan. It was … Continue reading →

Posted in Burma/Myanmar, Gaza, ICC Prosecutor, International Court of Justice (ICJ), International Criminal Court (ICC), International Criminal Justice, International Law, Israel, Myanmar, Palestine, Palestine and the ICC, Rohingya, Russia, Ukraine | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

There must be consequences: Accountability for war crimes can help stop attacks on hospitals

Posted on July 2, 2025 by Mark Kersten

The doctors assumed that a well-marked hospital would be safe, especially since the warring parties in the region were informed of its existence and its life-saving operations. But they were wrong, and the attacks came in waves. When it was … Continue reading →

Posted in Gaza, International Criminal Court (ICC), International Criminal Justice, International Humanitarian Law, Iran, Palestine, Palestine and the ICC, Russia, Sudan, Ukraine, War crimes | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

The Dynamics and Moral ambiguities of Perpetration: Exploring the Intersection of Individual Agency and Structural Factors in Atrocity Crimes

Posted on June 24, 2025 by Mark Kersten

The following article, by Dr. Mina Rauschenbach, is part of JiC’s ongoing symposium on Alette Smeulers’ new book “Perpetrators of Mass Atrocities Terribly and Terrifyingly Normal?”. Mina is Research Fellow at the Leuven Institute of Criminology (KU Leuven), an independent consultant, and a certified … Continue reading →

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

‘A new standard on perpetrator research’ – An Enthusiastic Encyclopaedia of Perpetrators

Posted on June 23, 2025 by Mark Kersten

The following article by Carola Lingaas is the latest in JiC’s ongoing symposium on Alette Smeulers’ new book “Perpetrators of Mass Atrocities Terribly and Terrifyingly Normal?”. Carola is a full professor of law at VID Specialized University in Oslo (Norway). For all other … Continue reading →

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

Tailoring & Categorization in Transitional Justice: The possible impact of Smeulers’ ‘Perpetrators of Mass Atrocities: Terribly and Terrifyingly Normal?’ within the holistic system of post-conflict justice

Posted on June 23, 2025 by Mark Kersten

Nandor Knust joins JiC for this article, a part of JiC’s ongoing symposium on Alette Smeulers’ new book “Perpetrators of Mass Atrocities Terribly and Terrifyingly Normal?”. Nandor is an Associate Professor of Law at the Arctic University of Norway, in Tromsø. He has … Continue reading →

Posted in International Criminal Justice, Symposium Introduction - A JiC Symposium on Alette Smeulers'  "Perpetrators of Mass Atrocities Terribly and Terrifyingly Normal? | 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