World Cup football- more than just a beautiful game

The international criminal justice world is buzzing with activity, South Africa chose to make a spectacle of itself by reminding the world that it intends to leave the Rome Statute and ICC judges referred Jordan to the United Nations Security Council for failure to arrest President Bashir, a consequence that South Africa escaped despite being […]

Last week the “Butcher of Bosnia,” Ratko Mladić, was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for orchestrating genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the Bosnian War. The day his verdict and sentence were announced I happened to be in Rwanda, Kigali walking the halls of the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre, where […]

There are great changes afoot on the international criminal justice landscape. Last week the Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) of the International Criminal Court announced its decision to request judicial authorisation for an investigation into the situation in Afghanistan. Given that this situation involves investigating the conduct of American troops, it could do wonders for […]

Last week on 27 October 2017 Burundi’s withdrawal from the International Criminal Court became effective, making it the first country to leave the ICC. Given the ongoing perpetration of human rights violations, and lack of accountability, the future of the east African nation hangs in the balance. With the Burundi’s presidential office calling it a […]

On 12 October, a High Court judge found that anti-apartheid stalwart Ahmed Timol was in fact murdered and did not, as alleged by the Security Branch police, commit suicide by jumping from the 10th floor of the John Vorster Square Police Station. It has been an arduous journey for the Timol family in their quest […]

Parliamentary brawls are becoming more common across the world. The scenes in Uganda’s parliamentary session last week were not unlike the ones that unfolded in South Africa’s parliament a few months ago. Punches and chairs were thrown and security staff were called to remove 25 members of parliament. The cause of the brawls- the introduction […]

Mandated to “assert the supremacy of the Constitution and the sovereignty of the people of Kenya” the Kenyan Supreme Court did just that last week when they stunned the world with a ruling that has positively resonated throughout the African continent. Kenya’s highest court ruled that the 2017 Presidential election results were null and void […]

Early next month on 8 August, the Kenyans take to the ballot box. They will vote for a president, members of parliament and local politicians. Since the end of a one party state in 1991, several Kenyan elections have been marred with violence. Kenya’s 2007/ 2008 post election violence resulted in the deaths of at […]

Last week, the judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) handed down their long-awaited judgment regarding South Africa’s failure to arrest Sudanese President Omar al Bashir. The Court was tasked with determining whether South Africa failed to comply with its obligations and, in the case that it had, if a formal finding of non-compliance and […]

Earlier this week I had the opportunity to visit the Senegalese Island of Goree, which was a pivotal part of the harrowing Transatlantic Slave Trade. Despite the formal abolition of slavery roughly 150 years ago, according to the Global Slavery Index 45.8 million people are modern day slaves currently. The humbling and deeply moving experience […]