International Criminal Justice Day – July 17
Today is International Criminal Justice Day. The Assembly of the States Parties of the International Criminal Court (ICC) adopted this date during the Review Conference of the Rome Statute held in Kampala, Uganda in June 2010. It marks the anniversary of the adoption of the Rome Statute, the treaty that founded the ICC. The treaty […]
Read More →Death Row and International Law
The Obama administration, UN officials, and foreign leaders are asking Texas Governor Rick Perry and/or the U.S. Supreme Court to stay today’s execution of a Mexican citizen on death row in Texas for a crime he committed in 1994. At issue is not his guilt or innocence, the legality of the death penalty, or whether […]
Read More →Rwanda Prime Minister Kambanda First Head of State to Plead Guilty to Genocide
On this day in 1994, Jean Kambanda became the Prime Minister of Rwanda. During the 100-day campaign, he incited genocide on the radio by announcing, “Genocide is justified in the fight against the enemy.” He became the first head of state to plead guilty to genocide since the adoption of the Genocide Convention and was […]
Read More →Bassiouni “Quite Doubtful” International Criminal Court Will Succeed — The Failures, Challenges, and Future of International Criminal Law
After dedicating much of his career to the establishment of the International Criminal Court, M. Cherif Bassiouni — often called the “father” of international criminal law — startled an audience at an international law conference in Washington, D.C. on Thursday when he called some international criminal tribunals shams and declared others to be mired in […]
Read More →The Evil Dictator’s Guide to Genocide: Deliberate Infectious Disease Spread
One year ago, I wrote a small booklet, “The Evil Dictator’s Guide to Genocide: Deliberate Infectious Disease Spread,” to accompany a presentation I gave on possible criminal culpability for intentional infectious disease spread. “The Evil Dictator’s Guide to Genocide” provides Machiavellian guidance on the benefits, risks, and possible legal consequences of using infectious diseases as […]
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