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.
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