Judi Rever is a Montreal-based journalist and author of In Praise of Blood, which investigates mass violence under Rwandan President Paul Kagame’s regime, using survivor testimonies, former soldiers, and leaked UN documents. A Ryerson journalism graduate, Rever covered the Congo-Rwanda crisis for Radio France-Internationale in 1997 and later reported for Agence France-Presse. Her work has [...]
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The Dilution of 'Genocide': Why We Need a New Term for Mass Atrocities
In the Israel-Hamas war, accusations of an Israeli “genocide” against the people of Gaza have created fierce debate and, consequently, warrant a reappraisal of the meaning of the term. Far from the historical and legal definition of the word, accusations of genocide against Israel have transformed the very essence of the word. This is lexical [...]
Interview: Zambian Supreme Court Judge Florence Mumba on Women, War, and Justice
Justice Florence Ndepele Mwachande Mumba is a Supreme Court Judge in Zambia. Following eight years as Zambia’s first female High Court Judge, she became Investigator General (Ombudsman) in 1989, serving as International Ombudsman Institute Board Director and Vice-President until 1996. Justice Mumba served on the UN Commission on the Status of Women from 1992 to [...]
US authorities arrest Rwanda national accused of scheme to conceal involvement in 1994 genocide
The US Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts announced the arrest of Eric Tabaro Nshimiye on Thursday for an alleged scheme to cover up his involvement in the 1994 Rwanda genocide to obtain asylum and citizenship in the US. US authorities assert that Nshimiye participated in a “three-decade scheme to conceal his alleged involvement [...]
Explainer: The Israel-Hamas War and the International Criminal Court
The current conflict engulfing Israel and Palestine raises significant issues of international law and policy. This is part one in an anticipated two-part series that will discuss some of the relevant legal questions before the International Criminal Court (ICC; Part I) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ; Part II). With both courts located in [...]
Stephen Rapp, an American lawyer and diplomat, has been a leading figure in international criminal law and human rights. He was appointed as the US Ambassador at Large for War Crimes Issues in 2009, overseeing investigations and prosecutions of war criminals worldwide. Rapp’s commitment to justice and ending impunity was evident during his tenure, supporting [...]
The War Crimes of Hamas: Hostage-Taking in International Law
On October 7th, 2023, the State of Israel was brutally attacked by the terrorist organization known as Hamas, instigating an all-out war. In the early morning of October 7th, Hamas terrorist fighters made their way into Israel from the Gaza Strip, invading and occupying Israeli towns, cities, and military bases. This surprise attack in Israel [...]
Opinion: Claims of Genocide Push Nagorno-Karabakh Further From Peace
Earlier this month, a former prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Luis Moreno Ocampo, released a legal opinion claiming that genocide is under way against ethnic Armenians in the Azerbaijani region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Such serious allegations should not be made lightly and require careful scrutiny. In light of this opinion, the Government of Azerbaijan [...]
UN tribunal declares Rwanda genocide suspect unfit to stand trial
The International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT), a United Nations (UN) tribunal, declared Wednesday that Félicien Kabuga, one of the last fugitives of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, is unfit to stand trial due to dementia. IRMCT considered the opinion of medical experts, who said that the “consequences of dementia deprive Mr. Kabuga of the [...]
UN tribunal arrests man wanted for Rwanda genocide since 1994
A special tribunal established by the UN, known as the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT), announced Thursday that fugitive Fulgence Kayishema has been arrested in Paarl, South Africa after 22 years on the run. Kayishema, a police officer accused of orchestrating the killing of more than 2,000 Tutsi refugees at Nyange Catholic Church in [...]