Lenah
Follow us
Justice Hub
  • My Justice
  • News
  • Insights
  • Justice Explained
  • About Us
No Result
View All Result
Justice Hub
  • My Justice
  • News
  • Insights
  • Justice Explained
  • About Us
No Result
View All Result
Justice Hub
No Result
View All Result

The #ImpunityDebate

February 16, 2015
in News
0
0
Home News
FacebookTwitterLinkedInWhatsappEmail

Is the international community abandoning the fight against impunity? That’s the subject of a debate currently being hosted online by the International Centre for Transitional Justice. Week one kicked off with opening remarks from David Tolbert followed by “Yes” and “No” arguments by Michael Ignatieff and Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein. The debate highlights the complexity that ensues when politics and international relations play significant roles in international justice.

Great description of reality of politics at play in international justice #ICC #impunitydebate @M_Ignatieff http://t.co/8kmhJWEY0C @theICTJ

— Janet H. Anderson (@janethanderson) February 10, 2015

The debate will continue with several other high-profile contributors and the comments section is already heating up with passionate and interesting arguments. In just a week, the ICTJ website has become a “watch this space” for the international justice community. In this Weekly Hubble I’ve highlightedmore contributions to the debate by scouring through social media.

But before I delve deep into endless tweets, it’s important to outline the positions taken by the two main contributors with a look at their opening paragraphs. Michael Ignatieff swiftly makes his point by highlighting the failed case against Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta.

“When the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court dropped charges against the President of Kenya in December 2014, she said it was a “dark day for international criminal justice.” It was more than that. It signaled a clear retreat in the fight against impunity, at least as it relates to heads of state.”

On the other side of the table Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein sends out a clear message of patience – and that we are in this for the long haul.

“All the fights worth fighting involve long-term struggles, hard work and many forces at play. The fights against apartheid, slavery, and colonialism have been fought over the long term, with battles both won and lost. They involve the employment of a variety of methods in order to advance a cause.”

There were pressing questions heading into the first day of the debate and they quickly led to an interesting exchange of thoughts between Iva Vukusic, Igor Cvetkovski and Matt Davis.

That’s easy @VukusicIva 🙂 lots of power politics, unevenness (topical, geographical, financial)&lack of results causing lack of confidence

— Igor Cvetkovski (@igorcvetkovski7) February 10, 2015

@mddintllaw @VukusicIva hope, but seems #impunitydebate remains focused on ext political factors-not on intl conceptual and practical issues

— Igor Cvetkovski (@igorcvetkovski7) February 10, 2015

Impunity debates can easily spin out of control with added layers of complexity. So Refik Hodzic’s attempt to boil down one of Michael Ignatieff’s key points to 140 characters or less clearly illustrates how there is no inherent need to overcomplicate arguments.

@M_Ignatieff says what many think: Justice Possible Only When in the Interest of Powerful States #impunitydebate http://t.co/63N3cZn39W

— Refik Hodzic (@ledenik1) February 10, 2015

Luke Moffett shared his contributions to the debate early on, highlighting that the International Criminal Court can only deliver justice to a limited amount of victims.

#ImpunityDebate ICC can only deliver justice to a few victims, ultimately tackling impunity has to come from within state for all victims

— Luke Moffett (@reparationsni) February 9, 2015

The Impunity Debate will continue for another few weeks, including contributions from ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda. But what seems more important is that the debate itself should not start and finish with this online event. The fight against impunity should be engrained in all discussions relating to international justice. But until that happens, we will make do with this great effort by ICTJ.

So…

  • Has the fight against impunity been abandoned?
  • What does this debate add to the fight against impunity?
  • Should there be a focus on national fights against impunity rather than an international fight?

(Photo: Miles/ Free digital photos)

The Weekly Hubble features the most popular or controversial international justice story of the past week and reactions on social media to the news. 

Tags: ICC (International Criminal Court)Justice News
ShareTweetShareSendSend

Niklas Jakobsson

Niklas Jakobsson is a communications expert

Related Posts

ICL Media Review: Russian veterans seek ICC investigation into use of mercenaries in Syria
ICL Media Review

ICL Media Review: Russian veterans seek ICC investigation into use of mercenaries in Syria

by ICL Media Review
November 18, 2019
0
26

In this week's review, news about the ECCC conviction of Chea and Samphan for genocide, the adjournment of Kwoyelo’s trial...

Read more
NPWJ: Trump’s Transgender Military Ban Gets a Boost

NPWJ: Trump’s Transgender Military Ban Gets a Boost

January 24, 2019
42
ICL Media Review: Charles Taylor’s ex-wife pleads not guilty in UK trial on torture in Liberia

ICL Media Review: Charles Taylor’s ex-wife pleads not guilty in UK trial on torture in Liberia

January 24, 2019
36
ICL Media Review: Uganda ordered to compensate former LRA fighter Thomas Kwoyelo

ICL Media Review: Uganda ordered to compensate former LRA fighter Thomas Kwoyelo

January 24, 2019
29
NPWJ: European Parliament to hold hearing on the current human rights and humanitarian situation in Yemen

NPWJ: European Parliament to hold hearing on the current human rights and humanitarian situation in Yemen

January 22, 2019
45

Niklas Jakobsson

Niklas Jakobsson is a communications expert

Justice Hub

Justice Hub is an online platform aimed at a worldwide audience of 18-35 year olds, especially in countries where people are looking for sustainable and innovative solutions to problems of justice, peace and security. Justice can feel too abstract, too often owned by experts. We make the conversations lively and accessible.

Follow Us

Quick Links

  • Featured
  • My Justice
  • News
  • Insights
  • Justice Explained
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy

 

  HPPJ Forum Login
Creative Commons Licence
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
No Result
View All Result
  • My Justice
  • News
  • Insights
  • Justice Explained
  • About Us

© 2018 Justice Hub

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Fill the forms bellow to register

*By registering into our website, you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Login

Lost password?
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.

REPUBLISHING TERMS

You may republish this article online or in print under our Creative Commons license. You may not edit or shorten the text, you must attribute the article to Aeon and you must include the author’s name in your republication.

If you have any questions, please email nsharafa@gmail.com

License

Creative Commons License AttributionCreative Commons Attribution
The #ImpunityDebate