Category Archives: War crimes

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

Who commits international crimes? A typology of perpetrators

Posted on June 18, 2025 by Mark Kersten

This post is Alette Smeulers‘ introduction to JiC’s symposium on her book, Perpetrators of Mass Atrocities Terribly and Terrifyingly Normal?. Smeulers is a professor at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. Her research takes an inter- and multidisciplinary approach, … Continue reading →

Posted in Alette Smeulers, 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

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

An alleged ISIS war criminal has been arrested in Canada. How did he get in, and why won’t Canada prosecute his alleged atrocities?

Posted on October 4, 2024 by Mark Kersten

In 2018, Ahmed Fouad Mostafa Eldidi arrived at Toronto’s Pearson Airport. After his application for refugee status was accepted in 2019, he received a work permit. He then became a permanent resident in 2021. Subsequently, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service … Continue reading →

Posted in Canada, Iraq, ISIS, Syria, Terrorism, Universal Jurisdiction, War crimes | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

An alleged Nazi was invited to Parliament. But why are there Nazis and war criminals in Canada in the first place?

Posted on February 14, 2024 by Mark Kersten

Last fall, Canadians were rightly appalled to learn that an alleged Nazi veteran had been invited to sit in the House of Commons and received a standing ovation from MPs across the political spectrum. The story was not left behind … Continue reading →

Posted in Canada, International Criminal Court (ICC), International Criminal Justice, War crimes | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Will justice ever be realized? Uncertainties for survivors of conflict-related gender-based violence as Liberia awaits the results of runoff presidential elections

Posted on November 16, 2023 by Guest Post Admin

The following is a guest-post by Kelsey Rhude and Yah Vallah Parwon. Kelsey is final year PhD candidate at the Irish Centre for Human Rights in the University of Galway, conducting research on transitional justice and peacebuilding in post-conflict Liberia. … Continue reading →

Posted in Liberia, Truth and Reconciliation Commissions, Truth Commission, War crimes | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The Shadow of Impunity: Justice for the killing of Baha Mousa and lessons for Afghanistan

Posted on September 18, 2023 by Mark Kersten

Elizabeth Brown joins JiC for this guest-post on ongoing need for accountability over the death of Baha Mousa and other Iraqis killed in UK detention. Elizabeth is a doctoral researcher in the Department of War Studies at King’s College London, where her … Continue reading →

Posted in European Court of Human Rights, Human Rights, Iraq, Torture, United Kingdom, War crimes | Tagged , | 1 Comment

The National Hockey League and its Biggest Russian Star is Sports-Washing Putin’s War Crimes

Posted on April 1, 2023 by Mark Kersten

The National Hockey League (NHL) has a war crimes problem. The NHL’s official Instagram account regularly highlights Alexander Ovechkin, one of hockey’s premier stars. Click on the NHL’s stories and you can access Ovechkin’s own account, where he regularly shares … Continue reading →

Posted in ICC Prosecutor, International Criminal Court (ICC), Russia, Ukraine, War crimes | Tagged , , , | 1 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

A War Crime Coalition: Russia’s Iranian and Chinese Drones Target Ukrainian Civilians 

Posted on February 22, 2023 by Mark Kersten

Paula Knack joins JiC for this guest post on Russia’s drone warfare in Ukraine. Paula was a former Legal Advisor of the Philippine Embassy and former Assistant Secretary of the Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources. She holds masters … Continue reading →

Posted in China, Drones, International Humanitarian Law, Iran, Russia, Terrorism, Ukraine, War crimes | Tagged | 7 Comments