International justice news

All Justice Info articles since 2015

All articles published on Justice Info (original and republications) are displayed on this page in chronological order. Only our Hirondelle News archives and the AFP news feed (except for dispatches edited by us) are excluded from this list.

Reparations in Syria: following Bashar al-Assad’s departure, victims of the regime are returning home and, faced with its crimes, are considering seeking reparations. Photo: a woman stands on the balcony of her destroyed flat.
Syria: learning from Iraq’s reparations experience
31 March 2026 by Sherizaan Minwalla + Zoe Paris + Mustafa Haid
More than a year after Bashar al-Assad’s fall, a central question remains: what will convince Syrians that the new state is not just the same old machinery in a different form?
The International Criminal Court (ICC) is launching a thorough investigation in Belarus into alleged crimes against humanity committed against political opponents (deportations). Photo: two protesters are handcuffed, with their hands behind their backs and their backs bent, and are being led away by Belarusian police. ICC: What’s in the Belarus investigation
30 March 2026 by Janet H. Anderson
Those who have lobbied for accountability for the regime of Alexander Lukashenko and his political crackdown in 2020 are cheered: the International Criminal Court has opened a full investigation. But the court’s legal and political space is tight.
In South Africa, following the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s report on crimes committed during apartheid, investigations by the national police were stalled and hampered for years. A commission is attempting to get to the bottom of the matter, though not without difficulty. Photo: Sisi Khampepe during a hearing of the commission, of which she is the chair. Justice Suspended in South Africa
27 March 2026 by Kylie Thomas
A commission of inquiry into an alleged political scandal about post-apartheid accountability began its hearings on February 11. So far, the process has been marred by the failure of political leaders and the police to comply, scholar Kylie Thomas warns.
In South Sudan, a civil war is on the verge of engulfing the country as transitional justice processes stall. Photo: a group of soldiers in mismatched uniforms (only a few of whom are armed) from the Sudan People’s Liberation Army marching in unsuitable footwear. South Sudan: war without justice
26 March 2026 by Julia Crawford
South Sudan’s political and military leaders are driving the country towards a full-scale civil war and mass atrocity crimes, warn UN experts. And long-awaited transitional justice mechanisms are stalled.
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Jorge Eduardo Gechem, who was kidnapped by the FARC, was released six years later. Image (video still): footage from a Venezuelan TV channel showing Gechem upon his release in the Colombian jungle.
24 March 2026 by Andrés Bermúdez Liévano
A tale of one crime and two different justice systems The case of former congressman Géchem Turbay helps understand the differences and complementarity between a kidnapping tried in Colombia’s ordinary courts and within the transitional justice system.
Beti Hohler, juge à la Cour pénale internationale (CPI), subit les sanctions imposées par le gouvernement américain.
23 March 2026 by Janet H. Anderson
“Living with US sanctions means living in constant uncertainty” A total of 11 judges and prosecutors at the International Criminal Court have been sanctioned by the US government. Some have come public about how it's deeply affected their daily life. And it’s unclear what protection they may enjoy.
Syrian Yazidis march carrying photos and banners during a demonstration in Syria.
20 March 2026 by AFP
Life sentence for a French jihadist After a five-day trial, the Paris Assize Court found Sabri Essid, a member of the Islamic State, guilty of genocide, crimes against humanity, and complicity in crimes against the Yazidis.
The US sanctions against the ICC and Palestinian NGOs have the effect of isolating the latter, as many organisations and businesses, both in Palestine and elsewhere, are reluctant to work with them.
20 March 2026 by Margherita Capacci
“We are like outcasts” In September 2025, three prominent Palestinian human rights organizations were put on the sanctions list by the U.S. administration for their relationship with the International Criminal Court. They tell us about the additional hardship.
Donald Trump is hosting a dinner at the White House to which American tech leaders have been invited (including Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates), with First Lady Melania Trump in attendance.
19 March 2026 by Tjitske Lingsma
How sanctions can weaponize US tech against the ICC The International Criminal Court depends significantly on American IT companies for its daily functions and operations. The sanctions against its staff serve as a strong wake-up call that such measures can weaponize US tech against the Court.
Special report: ‘Life under sanctions’ (imposed by the US) for staff at the International Criminal Court and NGOs working with the ICC. Illustration: a colourful drawing showing a judge swimming underwater, surrounded by jellyfish. Papers bearing the ICC logo are also submerged.
17 March 2026 by Justice Info
Life under sanctions In 2025, Donald Trump's administration activated the powerful weapon of sanctions against prosecutors and judges of the International Criminal Court. What consequences for the Court and for those targeted?
Richard Rogers, a human rights lawyer, answers questions from Thierry Cruvellier (Justice Info) regarding the sanctions imposed by the US government on the International Criminal Court (ICC) and various NGOs. Illustration: portrait of Richard Rogers (watercolour).
17 March 2026 by Thierry Cruvellier
“What has changed is who the U.S. consider to be friends or foe” The ultimate weapon that appears to threaten the very existence of the International Criminal Court is the sanctions imposed by the U.S. government. How does it work exactly? International lawyer Richard Rogers explains in our special report.
Genocide of the Yazidis in Syria: a trial begins in France. Photo: a Yazidi woman sits, staring into space.
13 March 2026 by Chloé Dubois
The genocide of Yazidis on trial before French court On March 16, the trial of French jihadist Sabri Essid is set to open before the Paris Assize Court. Although presumed dead, he is being prosecuted for genocide and crimes against humanity targeting the Yazidi population. This is a first in France.
Universal jurisdiction in France
12 March 2026 by Asymmetrical Haircuts
Universal jurisdiction à la française  There are over 150 cases that are investigated under the universal jurisdiction principle in France. What explains this massive increase of universal jurisdiction cases? And how and why is France able to utilise it effectively?
Outreach session organised by the Office of the War Crimes and Economic Crimes Commission of Liberia (OWECC-L). Photo: Men, most of whom are wearing T-shirts bearing the OWECC-L logo, are gathered under a wooden and tin shelter to listen to a man speaking.
12 March 2026 by Aaron Weah
Is Liberia’s War and Economic Crimes Court on a better path? Members of the civil society suspect various actors to try to spoil or obstruct the making of the War and Economic Crimes Court. This undermines a unity of purpose in mobilizing a collective financial strategy for the court, argues Aaron Weah.
In The Gambia, reparations for victims of crimes committed by exiled dictator Yahya Jammeh are chaotic, with numerous irregularities and delays. Photo: A Rolls Royce that belonged to Jammeh (his assets are to be seized to contribute to reparations) is covered in dust in a garage, alongside other luxury vehicles.
10 March 2026 by Mustapha K. Darboe
Gambia’s reparation gap and botched sale of ex–dictator’s assets A state inquiry has found that the recovery of Yahya Jammeh’s loot was marred by irregularities. Among those recommended for criminal proceedings is the chief architect of the post-dictatorship transitional justice process in The Gambia.
Karim Khan, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), is the subject of an investigation into alleged sexual misconduct.
9 March 2026 by Janet H. Anderson
What do we know of the investigation against Khan? This Monday, the president of the Assembly of States Parties to the ICC receives a report from a panel of three specially appointed judges looking into the investigation on alleged sexual misconduct by the prosecutor.
How does international justice deal with defendants accused of mass crimes when they are elderly? Photo: Hands clasped together of an elderly person wearing handcuffs
6 March 2026 by Asymmetrical Haircuts
No perfect trial for old men Last week, the most and only prominent defendant at the International Criminal Court (ICC) was not present at his confirmation of charges hearing. In this new podcast, Asymmetrical Haircuts invites Caroline Davidson, from the Willamette University (USA), who has reflected on the disputed line “in between the human rights of the accused and the human rights of the victims”, she said.
Members of the Yazidi community watch the verdict of the District Court of The Hague in the Hasna A. case via livestream at the Yazda office in Sinjar (Iraq)
5 March 2026 by Natia Navrouzov
Beyond the courtroom: making justice visible to the Yazidi community While a new trial is about to open in Paris for crimes against Yazidis, what should judicial systems do to bring trials of universal jurisdiction out of their bubble? The Netherlands has begun to lead the way.
In Haiti, gangs are wreaking havoc and the country is undergoing a severe political crisis. What hope is there for justice? Could a form of transitional justice be envisaged to accompany the involvement of the UN and foreign countries (especially the United States) in order to restore order? Photo: a woman cries in front of the ruins of a house.
3 March 2026 by Julia Crawford
Crunch time for Haiti: how transitional justice can help On February 7, Haiti’s Presidential Council handed power to a US-backed Prime Minister. The UN Security Council has also approved a new international force. A turning point for Haiti?