IJRC has indexed and summarized the prosecutions for genocide, war crimes, or crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR). See the Table of ICTY Cases and Table of ICTR Cases for information on the dates and outcome of each proceeding, as well as links to a brief summary
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International Criminal Law
OVERVIEW International criminal law, though not quite as comprehensively codified or as widely ratified by States as international human rights obligations, is relevant to the study and protection of international human rights because it, generally, is aimed at punishing acts which affect fundamental human rights, namely: life, liberty, and security. The codification of international criminal law can also make sense
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African Rights Court Issues Landmark Advisory Opinion Rejecting Vagrancy Laws
On December 4, 2020, the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (AfCHPR) published and delivered an advisory opinion declaring national laws that criminalize vagrancy to be incompatible with human rights standards. [AfCHPR Press Release] The opinion concludes that laws that essentially criminalize homelessness, poverty, or unemployment are overly broad and allow for abuse. The Court held that such laws
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Sri Lanka Pardons War Criminal, Rejects Human Rights Council Commitments
Efforts to secure accountability for the atrocities of Sri Lanka’s civil war faced another setback in March 2020 when Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa pardoned one of very few individuals convicted of committing atrocities during the conflict. [OHCHR Press Release: Pardon] President Rajapaksa, himself an accused war criminal, ordered the immediate release of former army Sergeant Sunil Ratnayake, convicted in
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International Criminal Court Prosecutor’s Annual Report Previews Eight Possible Investigations
On December 5, 2019, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) published the 2019 Report on Preliminary Examination Activities, detailing the status of nine initial assessments by her office of possible war crimes, crimes against humanity, and acts of genocide around the world. See ICC, Report on Preliminary Examination Activities (2019), para. 14. The ninth annual Report covers the
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U.S. Resists International Oversight, Reduces IACHR Funding over Reproductive Rights
In another effort to both curtail international human rights oversight and advance a regressive view of reproductive rights, the United States Department of State indicated in late March 2019 that it would reduce its financial support for the region’s human rights bodies, which have urged States to repeal laws that criminalize abortion without any exceptions. [Washington Post; PAI] U.S. Secretary
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Suspected War Criminal Arrested in Central African Republic, Transferred to ICC
Alfred Yekatom, the first person to be transferred to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in connection with the Court’s investigation into crimes committed in the Central African Republic (CAR) since 2012, made an initial appearance before the Court’s Pre-Trial Chamber II on November 23. [ICC Press Release: Alfred; FIDH] Mr. Yekatom is alleged to have committed war crimes and crimes
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Texas Executes Man in Contravention of Multiple International Legal Decisions
The American state of Texas executed 64-year-old Mexican national Roberto Moreno Ramos on November 14, contravening the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and several human rights bodies, which had concluded he was entitled to a retrial or new sentencing hearing because of due process violations related to his trial, and should not be subjected to the death penalty because of
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Children’s Rights Violated in U.S. Criminal Justice System, IACHR Reports
In a new report and interactive website, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has detailed flaws in the United States’ prosecution and incarceration of children, urging reforms to ensure that minors are not tried or sentenced as adults. IACHR, The Situation of Children in the Adult Criminal Justice System in the United States (2018). The report, released in September
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UN Committee Considers State Officials’ Immunity for Grave International Crimes
The Sixth Committee – an intergovernmental committee that considers legal questions in the United Nations General Assembly – finished late last month its consideration of a draft article that asserts State officials do not have immunity from the prosecution of crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, crimes of apartheid, torture, and enforced disappearance in a foreign criminal jurisdiction; the
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