Jan Kooy is filling in for Andrew today.
How do we get justice for victims of war crimes and crimes against humanity? Justice and accountability are crucial in countries embroiled in armed conflict, such as Ukraine, Ethiopia, Sudan, Myanmar and Syria.
And hard as it may seem sometimes, there are wins for justice.
In an op-ed published by Deutsche Welle, Human Rights Watch’s Executive Director Tirana Hassan highlights the international community’s firm response to atrocities that unfolded after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
“Multilateral organizations and many Western governments swiftly and exceptionally engaged a range of accountability mechanisms and tools, underscoring the importance of criminal justice for serious crimes committed there,” she writes. “Russian forces are responsible for the overwhelming majority of abuses. Still, allegations of abuse by Ukrainian forces should be duly investigated, with those responsible be held to account in a fair trial. Measures should also be put in place to protect lawyers representing them. Effective justice, after all, means impartial justice.”
And there’s more positive news. Two decisions last week by France’s Court of Cassation, related to Syria atrocity crimes cases, highlight France’s ability to address serious international crimes. The French government still needs to move ahead with reforms to remove legal restrictions that risk France becoming a safe haven for people responsible for the world’s worst crimes.
“These two long-awaited decisions will have an impact in France on dozens of complaints and investigations related to international crimes committed not only in Syria, but also in other countries, including Libya and the Democratic Republic of Congo,” said Brigitte Jolivet, spokesperson at the French Coalition for the International Criminal Court.
Justice matters.