International Justice in Africa

This debate is organized by Oxford Transitional Justice Research (OTJR), working in partnership with the International Center for Transitional Justice – Africa, and The Sudan Consortium (formerly The Darfur Consortium).

The debate aims to gather the ongoing discussions about the limits and possibilities of international justice ahead of the Review Conference of the Rome Statute scheduled for June 2010. The essays in this collection include views from scholars analyzing the clarity of different provisions of the Rome Statute, practitioners interrogating the contribution of prosecutions to stability and its balance with local reconciliation efforts, and activists advocating for more support for transitional justice measures in general and the International Criminal Court (ICC) in particular.

These essays constitute the beginning of a vibrant debate. OTJR will welcome multi-disciplinary perspectives that seek to draw attention to opportunities and challenges in addressing human rights violations in Africa, including contributions that may seek to question whether it is useful at all to single out Africa in this discussion of international justice. OTJR invites you to contribute and comment.

Series Papers

 

1. International Justice in Africa - Debate Summary 

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 by Lydiah Kemunto-Bosire

 

2. A Note on State Policy and Crimes Against Humanity 

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 by Larry May

 

3. Inside the Minds of the ICC Judges: Will They Give Ocampo the Benefit of the Doubt in Kenya? 

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 by Lionel Nichols

 

4. The Limits of Prosecutions 

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 by Okechukwu Oko

 

5. Understanding Africa’s Position on the International Criminal Court 

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 by Comfort Ero

 

6. The Contribution African States Can Make to the ICC Review Conference 

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 by Valentina Torricelli

 

7. The Standoff between ICC and African Leaders Debate Revisited 

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 by Emmanuel Saffa Abdulai

 

8. Root and Branch, Tree of Life: Sowing the Seeds of Grassroots Transitional Justice

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 by Andrew Iliff

 

9. What the ICC Review Conference Can’t Fix 

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 by Adam Branch

 

10. Peace, Justice, and the International Criminal Court 

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 by Sara Darehshori and Elizabeth Evenson

This paper argues that justice initiatives, and the ICC's work in particular, do not seriously impede peace processes. The paper shows instead that remaining firm on justice yields short- and long-term benefits that contribute toward peacebuilding.

 

11. International Criminal Justice and Non-Western Cultures 

Mon, 12 Apr 2010 by Tim Kelsall

As the ICC Review Conference nears, it is time to consider how best to create a form of international criminal justice that is culturally and socially appropriate in non-Western settings.

 

12. International Criminal Court in Africa: “alea jacta est” 

Mon, 12 Jul 2010 by Olivier Kambala wa Kambala

An article outlining the relationship between the ICC and Africa.

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