We took an opportunity to cover a new initiative – the Standing Group on Atrocity Crimes. It’s launched this month against the backdrop of “the repeated refrain of ‘Never Again’ from states apparently committed to the rule of law” and the fact that “In 2024, more than 100 countries have been at least partly involved in some form of external conflict in the last five years, up from 59 in 2008”.
They also say…
“There are international obligations on States, by operation of treaty or customary international
law, to prohibit, prevent and punish the commission of international crimes and encourage the
peaceful settlement of disputes. There is also national self-interest in promoting the rule of law
and maintaining international norms requiring adherence to international humanitarian law and
international human rights law”.
This is a UK initiative, where you already have ICC-related legislation from 2001 and parliamentary inquiries which have made strong recommendations, such as the International Development Committee Preventing Mass Atrocity Inquiry[2022-2023]. But the initiative wants to see some movement on putative bills like the Genocide (Prevention and Response) Bill and the Genocide Determination Bill and sanctions legislation to induce human rights compliance, and some proposed legislative amendments on universal jurisdiction.
The people behind the new initiative say “a piecemeal, partisan and protracted approach is no longer sustainable nor adequate”.
Who are they and what do they want? We got two convenors, one a barrister and one a lawyer with with the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute, plus an international law professor to chat to us and let us know why, what and how. Thanks Aarif Abraham, Ewelina Ochab and Christine Chinkin.
For recommendations, Aarif suggests Soul of a Citizen: Living With Conviction in a Cynical Time by Paul Rogat Loeb, on how to take action. Ewelina recommends the Netflix series Black Earth Rising, which deals with the Rwandan genocide and gives food for thought on which voices we give a platform to. And Christine highlights the benefits of walking in nature during time off.
