Defending the Damned (Part 1 of 3)

This blog series was originally part of a reflection the author wrote comparing international criminal defense with domestic defense. To read the original post, visit the author’s personal blog at http://lawphilosophyart.blogspot.com/2014/03/defending-damned-closer-look-at.html. Part I of this blog series will explore Francois Roux’s defense strategy at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC, or Cambodia … Read more

An African Debacle May Turn Out Well: After 22 Years, Senegal Agrees to Try the Former Dictator of Chad

The Players It’s a little after the fact, but this issue remains near and dear to the heart of your author, as she was formerly a Peace Corps volunteer in Senegal from 2007-2009, and is currently taking International Criminal Law. On August 22, 2012, Senegal and the African Union (AU) signed an agreement to establish … Read more

Some Jurisdictions Take Witness Oaths More Seriously Than Others…

A friend at the Extraordinary Chambers of the Courts of Cambodia shared with me this oath read to testifying witnesses. You’ve got to hand it to Cambodians.  They take perjury seriously: Introductory Statement May all the guardian angels, forest guardians, and powerful sacred spirits of Preah Ang Dang Kae, Preah Ang Krapum Chouk, Prcah Ang … Read more

Protected Witness in Mladic Trial Recalls His Survival of a Mass Execution During the Srebrenica Genocide

This is a summary of the Prosecution’s cross examination of witness RM255 on July 19, 2012 in the war crimes case against General Ratko Mladic. Bosnian Serb ex-army chief Ratko Mladic oversaw the Serb army “obliterating everyone like a fire,” a protected witness said Thursday. Separated by Serb soldiers from his family while trying to … Read more

More on the problematic sentencing at International Tribunals

Last Wednesday Judge Meron at the Rwanda International Criminal Tribunal lowered the sentence of the leader of Rwanda’s genocide. Here is a link to an article on the decision. Colonel Theoneste Bagosora was alleged to be the person who made the decision to commit genocide against the Tutsis and set about planning and preparing for … Read more

An argument for consecutive sentencing at International Tribunals

Lady Justice

On August 2nd, a Guatamalan court convicted four former soldiers for the murder of 201 people during the Guatamalan civil war in the 1980s. The court sentenced the four to 12,060 years each, which represents 60 years per victim – 30 for murder and 30 for a crime against humanity. Contrast that sentence with that … Read more