Peacekeepers of the Senegalese contingent the MINUSMA conduct a street patrols on election’s day in Gao, north of Mali (August 12, 2018).

Analysis: The United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in Mali: Mandate Renewal and Evolution

Without much fanfare, on 28 June 2018 the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 2423 (2018), renewing the mandate of the Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA, or “the Mission”) for another year. The Mission was established in April 2013 and is often called the most dangerous United Nations peacekeeping mission. With most observers intently focused on the recent presidential elections in Mali, the renewal of MINUSMA’s mandate attracted very little commentary, and some of those who have reviewed the new mandate have suggested that it remains largely the same. In this article, I will highlight some of the important changes that have been made to MINUSMA’s “priority tasks.”
Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.

Analysis: International Crimes in Myanmar Alleged in Human Rights Council Report

On August 24, the Human Rights Council released the Report of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar in advance of its 39th session in September. This followed the flight of almost three-quarters of a million Rohingya to Bangladesh by August 2018 to live there in dire conditions in refugee camps. This article will first look at the conclusions of the Mission and then look at its exacting methodology. Next, it will look at the role and mechanism of hate speech in precipitating ethnic conflict and the way it fits in the pattern of violence that has generated such suffering. It will then examine the Mission’s substantive findings for the States in Myanmar that it examined as it builds its case against impunity of those involved in directly and indirectly working violence on the Rohingya and other ethnic groups.
Monument commémorant les victimes de l’holocauste au Parc de la Victoire à Moscou.

Analyse : Enfin une convention pour la prévention et la répression des crimes contre l’humanité?

Malgré le grand nombre de victimes passées et présentes, les crimes contre l’humanité ne font toujours pas l’objet d’une convention internationale globale et universelle. En vue de combler cette lacune, en juillet 2017, la Commission de droit international a adopté en première lecture un projet de convention sur la prévention et la répression des crimes contre l’humanité. Ce projet a été transmis aux États et aux organisations internationales pour commentaires avant le 1er décembre 2018.  Enfin une convention sur les crimes contre l’humanité ?
Picture of Deborah's family

In Search of Justice: My Fight Against Impunity

Déborah’s husband, Pascal Kabungulu, was a prominent human rights defender in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He was assassinated in 2005 as a result of his activism. Since then, Déborah and her family have found refuge in Canada where they continue their fight to end impunity. With the assistance of the Canadian Centre for International Justice and the NGO TRIAL International, Déborah filed a complaint with the United Nations Human Rights Committee in 2016 to reopen the investigation into Pascal’s assassination. Déborah recently spoke with the PKI Global Justice Journal to tell her story.
The Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of British Columbia

Commentaire d’arrêt : L’Affaire Araya et l’accès aux recours civils fondés sur le droit coutumier international au Canada

Les recours civils fondés sur la coutume internationale en sont encore à leurs balbutiements au Canada, mais ils sont ancrés dans l’argument logique que la coutume internationale, tel qu’elle est incorporée dans le droit canadien, peut servir comme fondement pour une cause d’action en réparation. Plus récemment, la recevabilité de l’affaire Araya c Nevsun Resources Ltd. a été examinée par la Cour suprême et la Cour d’appel de la Colombie-Britannique (C-B). La question novatrice de cette poursuite est celle de savoir si une personne non citoyenne peut se prévaloir d’un recours civil au Canada pour les violations du droit coutumier international, voire les principes jus cogens en matière des droits de l’homme. Comme nous le verrons dans cet article, l’affaire Araya est sur le point de faire évoluer le droit canadien en la matière.
Burundian Refugee Camp, Uganda (2018).

Prosecutors on the Front Line: Inside European War Crimes Units

They work from the Netherlands, Denmark or the United Kingdom, but they deal with mass crimes occurring on the other side of the world – in Syria, Rwanda or Nepal. “They” are the prosecutors in the war crimes units (WCUs). These highly specialized professionals are tasked with bringing to justice war criminals present on European soil, regardless of where their alleged crimes were committed. We met with these dedicated individuals who, in challenging circumstances and through endless legal complexities, seek justice for the most severe crimes.
Rohingya refugees entering Bangladesh.

Case Comment: Can the Office of the Prosecutor investigate the deportation of the Rohingya?

The Office of the Prosecutor applied to the Pre-Trial Division of the International Court of Justice for the first time for an early ruling on the jurisdiction of the court. In order to commence an investigation in the Rohingya affair, the Prosecutor needed to know whether the ICC had jurisdiction where these people were forced to move from a non-State Party to a State Party.
MONUSCO peacekeepers conduct cordon-and-search operations in camps in the area of Aveba that sheltered the positions of the Front for Patriotic Resistance in Ituri elements, in order to facilitate the prompt return of displaced populations.

Case Comment: Review of the Appeals against the Reparations Order in Prosecutor v. Germain Katanga

On March 8, 2018, the ICC Appeals Chamber largely confirmed the reparations decision of the Trial Chamber in Prosecutor v. Germain Katanga. Katanga was convicted in March 2014 of being an accessory to war crimes and crimes against humanity relating to conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Despite its overall support, the Appeals Chamber did make some pointed obiter comments of the trial level’s approach to determining reparations. Protracted and complex individual assessments had been conducted, but in the end not relied upon, as each victim had been awarded a set US$250. In this regard, the Appeals Chamber emphasized that proceedings intended to compensate victims need to be as expeditious and cost effective as possible.