03 November 2026
The Clock Is Ticking
After sanctioning the ICC Prosecutor, its Deputy Prosecutors and several judges, including its President, the US has now issued sanctions on the International Criminal Court itself. On 9 October 2026, the same day on which the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the Peace Prize to Navi Pillay, a former judge of the ICC, the US added the Court to its sanctions list. European governments have condemned the measure, but that is not enough. The Commission should promptly activate the Blocking Statute before the licence expires. Continue reading >>
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22 October 2026
Beyond Defining Ecocide
When the Oskil dam in the Kharkiv region was damaged in 2022, the reservoir drained and land downstream flooded. The damage altered the river system and the ecosystems connected to it. Ukrainian prosecutors have brought ecocide charges against two Russian generals over the attack. But the case raises a difficult question for investigators and courts about what exactly counts as harm. This now sits at the centre of Ukraine’s reform of its ecocide offence and of international efforts to define the crime. Continue reading >>
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29 May 2026
„Das Haftsystem ist in Libyen zu einer Industrie geworden“
Im Mai 2026 schloss der Internationale Strafgerichtshof (IStGH) das Verfahren zur Bestätigung der Anklagepunkte gegen Khaled El Hishri ab, einen ehemaligen hochrangigen Offizier der libyschen Special Deterrence Force. Die Anklage richtet sich zwar gegen El Hishri persönlich und betrifft Taten, die zwischen 2014 und 2020 im Mitiga-Gefängnis in Tripolis begangen worden sein sollen. Gleichzeitig macht die Anklageschrift ein System sichtbar, dessen Strukturen weit schwerer zu durchdringen sind. Wir haben mit Allison West, Senior Legal Advisor beim European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR), über die Komplexität des Verfahrens gesprochen. Continue reading >>
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29 May 2026
“Detention Has Become an Industry in Libya”
In May 2026, the International Criminal Court concluded its confirmation of charges hearing against Khaled El Hishri, a former senior officer of Libya's Special Deterrence Force (SDF/RADA). While the charges are directed at an individual for acts committed at Tripoli's Mitiga prison between 2014 and 2020, they emerge from a system that is much harder to disentangle. We asked Allison West, Senior Legal Advisor at European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights, ECCHR, to unpack the complexities of this case and situate it within the broader struggle for justice in Libya. Continue reading >>
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22 December 2025
Amal Clooney (née Alamuddin)
Amal Clooney is an international human rights lawyer known for representing victims of mass atrocities, journalists prosecuted for their reporting, survivors of genocide and sexual violence, political prisoners, and marginalised communities. Through strategic litigation before international, national, and regional courts, as well as through the Clooney Foundation for Justice and the Oxford Institute of Technology and Justice, her work is dedicated to expanding access to justice. Continue reading >>
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18 December 2025
The Sanctioning of Law
Imagine a Western head of government sanctioning the attorney general and judges of the supreme court because they have brought criminal proceedings against his party colleagues. He has their assets seized, their bank accounts frozen, and their freedom of movement restricted. Unimaginable? Unfortunately, no. This is precisely what the Trump administration has now done with the leadership of the Office of the Prosecutor and six judges of the International Criminal Court. Continue reading >>17 October 2025
The Sahel’s ICC Exit
Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger trumpet their withdrawal from the International Criminal Court as an act of sovereign defiance and decolonization, but the spectacle barely conceals its true aim: impunity. All three juntas seized power by force and stand accused of atrocities committed by their militaries and Russian-backed auxiliaries. By rejecting The Hague, they aren’t reclaiming justice for Africa; they’re dismantling the last external check on their power, turning “sovereignty” into a shield against accountability and leaving victims in the Sahel with nowhere to turn. Continue reading >>
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31 July 2025
Holistisch, praktisch, gut?
Am 24. Juli 2025 fiel das Urteil gegen Yekatom und Ngaïssona und mit ihm ein Stück klassischer Dogmatik im Völkerstrafrecht. Unter Effizienzdruck setzte der IStGH auf Tempo, Kontext und strukturierte Gesamtschau statt auf starre Zurechnungs- und Beweisregeln. Ein Verfahren, das nicht nur Täter verurteilte, sondern auch Maßstäbe für die Rolle der Verfahrensführung in der internationalen Strafjustiz verschob. Continue reading >>08 July 2025
Ein Verbrechen sucht ein Gericht
Russlands Angriffskrieg gegen die Ukraine verletzt das Gewaltverbot der UN-Charta in aller Deutlichkeit, bleibt strafrechtlich allerdings bislang ungesühnt. Der Europarat und die Ukraine reagieren mit einem Sondertribunal, das hochrangige Verantwortliche für das Verbrechen der Aggression zur Rechenschaft ziehen soll – trotz politischer und verfassungsrechtlicher Hürden. Es bündelt internationale Unterstützung und setzt ein starkes Zeichen gegen Straflosigkeit bei Angriffen auf die internationale Rechtsordnung. Ein ungewöhnlicher Schritt, der das Völkerstrafrecht grundlegend herausfordert. Continue reading >>04 June 2025