Category Archives: Syria

States and the ICC must avoid creating a two-tier justice system

Posted on April 7, 2022 by Mark Kersten

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has been asked – by forty-one states – to investigate allegations of mass atrocities committed in Ukraine. That’s no easy task. Nor is it cheap. In a show of unprecedented support for the ICC, a number of … Continue reading →

Posted in Canada, International Criminal Court (ICC), International Criminal Justice, Israel, Russia, Syria, Ukraine | 3 Comments

Canada’s Pursuit of Syria over Torture May be Symbolic. But Here’s Why It Matters

Posted on March 11, 2021 by Mark Kersten

Last month marked the tenth anniversary of the brutal civil war in Syria. The number of atrocities committed over that span is bewildering. In all probability, every single human rights violation and international crime enshrined in international law has been … Continue reading →

Posted in Canada, International Court of Justice (ICJ), Syria, The Netherlands, Torture | 1 Comment

What Justice is Required before Aid to Syrian Reconstruction?

Posted on April 29, 2020 by Mark Kersten

Stephen J. Rapp joins JiC for this contribution to our ongoing symposium on ‘Rethinking Peace and Justice‘. Rapp is is an American lawyer and the former United States Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues in the Office of Global Criminal Justice.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Omar al-Bashir, Peace Negotiations, Peace Processes, Rethinking Peace and Justice Symposium, Sudan, Syria | Tagged | Leave a comment

International Criminal Justice – A New Feature of Middle East Politics?

Posted on March 30, 2020 by Mark Kersten

With its landmark decision to authorize an investigation into Afghanistan, the International Criminal Court (ICC) will embark upon unknown territory. Not only will it investigate alleged atrocities committed by the Afghan military and the Taliban, it will also – for … Continue reading →

Posted in Afghanistan, Bahrain, Egypt, International Criminal Court (ICC), International Criminal Justice, Iran, Iraq, ISIS, Islamic State, Libya, Libya and the ICC, Middle East, Omar al-Bashir, Sudan, Syria | 1 Comment

Unreliable and Piecemeal: The Canadian Government’s Record on Global Justice

Posted on October 18, 2019 by Mark Kersten

The gap between the demand for global justice and its supply has widened. Victims of atrocities in Syria, Myanmar, Burundi, Venezuela, Ukraine and elsewhere demand justice — but very few are heard. Canada’s approach to international accountability efforts has become … Continue reading →

Posted in Canada, International Criminal Court (ICC), International Criminal Justice, ISIS, Islamic State, Kurdistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Options on the Table: A Hybrid Tribunal to Prosecute ISIL fighters

Posted on September 18, 2019 by Mark Kersten

Amr Jomaa joins JiC for this post on the possible means to prosecute Islamic State fighters for international crimes. Amr a Project Officer for the MENA division at the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, specializing in international human rights and transitional justice … Continue reading →

Posted in Guest Posts, International Criminal Court (ICC), International Criminal Justice, Iraq, ISIS, Islamic State, Syria | 4 Comments

Filling the Vacuum: Syria and the International Criminal Court

Posted on March 19, 2019 by Mark Kersten

Toby Cadman and Carl Buckley join JiC for this post on their recent application requesting the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate the deportation of Syrians into Jordan. Carl is a Barrister with Guernica. Toby is the … Continue reading →

Posted in Guest Posts, ICC Prosecutor, International Criminal Court (ICC), International Criminal Justice, Syria | 4 Comments

International Justice has done little for Syria, but Syria has done a lot for International Justice

Posted on March 4, 2019 by Mark Kersten

Eight years after the onset of the civil war, international justice has done little for Syria, but Syria has done a lot for international justice. Strategic accountability efforts are yielding important results. Sweden, France, and especially Germany are at the … Continue reading →

Posted in Commission for International Justice and Accountability (CIJA), Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM), International Criminal Court (ICC), International Criminal Justice, Syria | 3 Comments

A Step Back to Take a Step Forward — The Future of Justice in Conflict

Posted on November 28, 2017 by Mark Kersten

Over the last year or so, there have been suggestions that we are witnessing a slow-down in the investigation and prosecution of international crimes perpetrated in the context of ongoing violent political conflicts. Is this true? If it is, why … Continue reading →

Posted in Ahmad Al Mahdi Al Faqi (Abou Tourab), Al-Tuhamy Mohamed Khaled, Commission for International Justice and Accountability (CIJA), Conflict Resolution, ICC Prosecutor, International Criminal Court (ICC), International Criminal Justice, Investigations, Justice in Conflict, Libya, Libya and the ICC, Libyan National Army, Mahmoud al-Werfalli, Mali, Office of the Prosecutor, Syria | 3 Comments

Mixing Immigration and Justice… Without Sacrificing One for the Other

Posted on November 19, 2017 by Mark Kersten

Below is an article I wrote, a version of which originally appeared in the Globe and Mail, on the increasingly blurred lines between immigration policy and international criminal justice. While the focus of the piece is on the Canadian experience and what the … Continue reading →

Posted in Canada, Guatemala, Immigration, International Criminal Justice, International Justice Ambassador, International Law, Refugees, Syria | 3 Comments