Stupidity in Armed Conflict—The Twenty-First Century Russian Model
As my various teams and I work at building a case against Vladimir Putin and his political and military leadership for international crimes, in conjunction with various governments and organizations worldwide, one of the questions that keeps coming up for me is: why did Putin invade Ukraine? We all have our learned and considered theories [...]
Aiding and Abetting Russian International Crimes: The Crocodiles Are Watching
Aiding and abetting a crime has long been a societal sanction in domestic legal systems throughout the world. Within modern international criminal law, it is also a crime and a viable charge in any indictment. By way of a recent example, one only has to look at former President Charles Taylor of Liberia who is [...]
Ukraine dispatch: calls grow for the creation of a special tribunal to adjudicate Russian war crimes
Ukrainian law students and young lawyers are reporting for JURIST on developments in and affecting Ukraine. This dispatch is from Kateryna Prychta, a law student at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. After the start of full-scale military attacks by the Russian Federation’s armed forces on the territory of Ukraine, at the beginning of March, Ukraine appealed to [...]
The Second Chautauqua Principles from the Global Accountability Network
The Global Accountability Network (GAN) is a consortium of universities and other organizations staffed by academics, practitioners, law students and graduate students. The network works alongside organizations such as the United Nations and the International Criminal Court to build international criminal cases. GAN was founded in 2011 by Professor David M. Crane, the Founding Chief Prosecutor [...]
Following last week’s discovery of a mass grave containing some 450 bodies in the Ukrainian town of Izium, questions of international criminal culpability loom heavily. “Russia left behind mass graves of hundreds of shot and tortured people in the Izium area. In the 21st century, such attacks against the civilian population are unthinkable and abhorrent. [...]
“The bottom line is this – we have a political moment here, where the world is somewhat united about doing something about Russia, particularly the crime of aggression,” said David Crane, former Chief Prosecutor for the Special Court for Sierra Leone and founder of Global Accountability Network (GAN). What action the world will take in [...]
The Global Accountability Network (GAN) released a white paper Wednesday carving out a detailed path to prosecute Russia, and even its standing leader Vladimir Putin, for the international crime of aggression. The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (Rome Statute) defines the crime of aggression in the following terms: The planning, preparation, initiation or [...]
“The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis.” — Dante Alighieri The world came together almost as one on February 24, 2022, when the Russian Federation invaded Ukraine. This was a unique moment where the world order, based on the rule of law, rallied around [...]
A Tsunami of Data—Stepping All Over the Crime Scene in Ukraine
Over the past ten years the world of international investigations has changed. With the advent of a more expansive web with Google, the worldwide reach of social media, the private use of various highly technical equipment from satellites to ground and infra-red sensors, among many methods of data collection, to include data mining and even [...]
How to Indict Vladimir Putin, According to a War Crimes Prosecutor (video)
As the horrors of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continue to unfold, world leaders are calling for Russian President Vladimir Putin to face prosecution before an international tribunal. Professor David M. Crane of Syracuse University College of Law has the rare distinction of having previously prosecuted a standing president in his role as Chief Prosecutor of [...]
