War Crimes

A two-day conference organised by SOLON with CCBH and IALS, to explore war crimes in present and historical context

This conference examines the issue of war crimes, exploring ways in which, it has been argued by those concerned with the issue (whether as victims, perpetrators, witnesses, adjudicators or commentators), that identifying war crimes and the perpetrators of these crimes are essential to the management of globalisation in the modern age, as a key part of post-conflict resolution. But, is there a universally shared comprehension of what constitutes ‘war crime’? How far has it been necessary, in defining and prosecuting war crimes in the modern age, to go beyond the articles of Geneva and other Conventions and customary international norms when dealing with grave incidents perceived as having an ‘international’ dimension? Does there need to be an international dimension to war crimes? How ‘new’ are war crimes, given that our conceptions of what constitutes a crime are often moulded and constrained by the past. How useful is it to visit the past (eg post-WW2 trials) given that these trials set precedents, definitions and norms of grave international crimes? It is also argued that international law is arcane and difficult: should it/how should it be made more accessible to non-specialist audiences? And how far should media and other public comments on war crimes be aware of the law if they are to report in a balanced and ethical fashion? What constitutes a ‘war zone’ requiring international intervention? Is it desirable to let states and societies work out their own solutions? A key focus will thus be on the strategies which are, or could be, utilised when dealing with war crimes, including ways in which these intersect with the more apparently ‘local’ concepts of hate crime and its management. The role of positive or negative stereotypes (often deeply rooted in historical prejudice) of race, gender, religion, sexuality etc associated with war crimes is also an issue with both theoretical and practical implications when identifying and prosecuting war crimes. Lesley Abdela, Lorie Charlesworth,
Judge Zakia Hakki (Iraq), Paul Weindling

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