What is next for the atrocities against Uyghurs in Xinjiang?
To prove genocide and other mass atrocity crimes, evidence is crucial. Documenting and preserving evidence at the time of the suspected atrocity is the only way to effectively ensure that...
The Risk of Genocide Requires Action, Not Denial
As the world awakes to the atrocities against the Uyghurs, the question of genocide has arisen. As often happens, denial and obfuscation has begun to sow doubt over the facts...
Gender in Colombia’s Peace Transition (with Isabel Jaramillo Sierra)
In this episode, we speak with Dr Isabel Cristina Jaramillo from Los Andes University in Colombia about “Gender in Transition: Studies about the Role of the Law in the Distribution...
Universal Jurisdiction in Switzerland: Challenges for the War Crimes Trial of Alieu Kosiah
On 3 December 2020, the trial of the Liberian former militia commander, Alieu Kosiah, opened in Switzerland’s Federal Criminal Court. It is a trial of many firsts, with Kosiah being...
President Biden and the War on Children
On entering office last week, President Joe Biden was greeted by an in-tray unprecedented in US history: a global pandemic that has already claimed 400,000 American lives, the worst economic...
The Genocide Amendment: Suitability of the High Court (Part II)
In the previous post, I highlighted the UK Government’s reluctance to endorse the Genocide Amendment. A central objection raised by the Government was that the determination of genocide should be...
The Genocide Amendment: Why is the UK Government dragging its feet? (Part I)
On 7 December 2020, the House of Lords debated the Trade Bill that defines the UK’s post-Brexit trade relationships and engaged with the question of what should happen if the...
Art as Justice: Public Memory and Torture
I teach human rights at a law school that will forever be associated with the Bush Administration’s torture policy. John Yoo, one of the principal authors of the Torture Memo...
The UK’s Overseas Operations Bill: licence to kill?
The UK Government is seeking to pass a new legislation that would impede prosecutions against British troops for crimes committed whilst serving abroad. The Bill, currently at the committee stage...
Ten years of the Argentine inquiry into Franco-era crimes: what has been achieved?
On 14 April 2010, the Argentinean criminal courts began an investigation into alleged crimes against humanity committed during the Franco regime. The investigation was initiated under the principle of universal...
The US ‘Snapback Sanctions’ on Iran Tantamount to Crimes Against Humanity
In 2015, Iran agreed a long-term Nuclear Deal on its nuclear programme with the world powers known as the P5+1 – the US, UK, France, China, Russia and Germany. The...
The pandemic, insurgent birth certificates and conflict-affected children
When armed groups control territory, they not infrequently administer public services, and the pandemic is no exception. Non-state armed groups in the Philippines introduced a “shelter in place” order requiring...
