This episode is all about local prosecutions of atrocity crimes, and how to transfer the expertise and knowledge built up in courts and tribunals dealing with crimes against humanity and war crimes to the local prosecutors on the ground. We invited Maxine Marcus and Kathleen Roberts who provide practical support to serious crime prosecutors, victim representatives, and investigators working in post-conflict and post-dictatorship jurisdictions in their new foundation, Partners in Justice.
One of the people they have worked with is Drita Hajdari, the Special Prosecutor in the Special Prosecution Office of the Republic of Kosovo, dealing with war crimes cases. In case you are wondering why you have heard that last name before on the podcast: we interviewed another member of her family, journalist Una Hajdari, in episode 30 about the Kosovo Specialist Chambers.
Max and Kathy are passionate about making sure power lies at the local level, especially because a local prosecutor can build trust with victim communities. Their job is to make sure the experience of the last 25 years of international criminal justice proceedings is also built-in to their practise.
Of course, we couldn’t let our guests leave without first letting us know how they unwind after a long day of pursuing justice. Kathy is a keen Asymmetrical Haircuts listener (!!) and at the moment is reading Watching The English by Kate Fox, in an effort to understand Brits as a new UK resident; she is also watching the BBC TV police procedural Line of Duty. Maxine on the other hand is escaping muggle problems by re-reading Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling with her youngest daughter. As for Drita, she finds nothing better than a hike to help with both physical and mental health, so wherever you are, why not use this weekend for an impromptu walk in nature?
This podcast has been produced as part of a partnership with JusticeInfo.net, an independent website in French and English covering justice initiatives in countries dealing with serious violence. It is a media outlet of Fondation Hirondelle, based in Lausanne, Switzerland.