asymmetrical haircuts

This episode was first released in December 2022 and features one of the great storytellers in International Justice, Reed Brody. He’s been dubbed “the Dictator-Hunter”, which is also the title of the documentary about his hunt for evidence against former Chadian dictator Hissène Habré. This fascinating case was also the topic for his influential book To Catch a Dictator: The Pursuit and Trial of Hissène Habré, a book that has featured in some of the other episodes in this year’s Summer Collection as well.                   

In this episode, Reed higlighted the important role of victims in what he calls ‘bottom-up justice’, emphasising the work and strength of victims of human rights crime, some of whom ultimately show up in court to speak directly to their offender.

Reed also explained how it was Nicaragua that got him interested in law during conflicts, while the trial of Chilean dictator Pinochet in London opened a whole new world of how to put dictators in the dock. Stephanie and Janet also asked Reed how he sees the future.      

Reed’s own book is of course our top recommendation, but also check out the 2022 movie Argentina 1985 about the landmark trial involving Argentina’s military dictatorship.

OK, it’s not as absolute as the headline makes out, but we are journalists aren’t we…

Janet and Stephanie have returned from their summer breaks to find that the world of international justice never stops turning. While they finally had a chance to catch up on some reading (you can find out more about that on our Patreon page), Ukraine became (very nearly) a fully-fledged member of the International Criminal Court, while the Ukrainian army took the war into Russian territory, and lest we forget, Vladimir Putin has just visited  ICC member state Mongolia.

Ukraine’s relationship with the ICC goes back to the year 2000, when it signed the Rome Statute. Ukraine’s parliament’s ratification – a mere 24 years later – comes as a surprise to many, not because it hasn’t been on the cards, but because it just ‘happened’ so quickly rather than being – again – debated endlessly, according to our first guest Iryna Marchuk, associate professor of international and criminal law at Copenhagen University.  She explained Ukraine’s road to ratification and the complex and contentious role that a certain Article 124  of the Rome Statute is now playing positively and negatively.

This article would potentially protect Ukraine’s armed forces from prosecution under ICC rules for seven years, and – maybe – became really relevant when Ukraine’s armed forces made incursions into Russia’s Kursk region.

Our second guest is Craig Martin, professor of international law at Washburn University in Kansas and the man behind JIB/JAB, an in-depth laws of war podcast. He talked to Janet about the legal ramifications of this invasion, and he compared it to the 1973 Yom Kippur War – at least the Israeli response – which had Janet and Stephanie thinking again about how norms and perspectives on international law shift over time.

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