Jabateh’s 30-year sentence was upheld once again, even while recognizing that the conduct underlying his fraud convictions did not constitute a crime. This article highlights the tension between substantive justice and legal finality. ✍️ Kristina Hon, for our blog civitas-maxima.org/finality-in-...

Finality in the Jabateh case | Civitas Maxima

In 2026, an appeals court rejected Mohamed Jabateh’s latest challenge despite agreeing his fraud convictions may rest on non-criminal conduct, citing procedural limits. His 30-year sentence remains fi...

civitas-maxima.org

Spain takes a major step toward accountability. 🇪🇸⚖️ A Spanish court has expanded its investigation into Sierra Leone’s blood diamond trade to now include money laundering offences and additional suspects. 👇

Now available in English on our blog: “The UN does not deliver justice itself, but it holds a vast trove of evidence it must make accessible.” In this op-ed, Alain Werner, director of CM, explains why unlocking UN archives is key to fighting impunity. Read more: civitas-maxima.org/the-un-does-...

The UN does not deliver justice itself, but it holds a vast trove of evidence it must make accessible. | Civitas Maxima

The UN holds vast evidence on ISIS crimes, yet victims and lawyers cannot access it. Unlocking these archives is essential to fight impunity and enable prosecutions, including against suspects now in ...

civitas-maxima.org

⚖️ Out today: the 2026 Universal Jurisdiction Annual Review Published by @trialinternational.bsky.social with Civitas Maxima, CJA, @ecchr.bsky.social, @fidh-official.bsky.social and @redress.org with support from @uprights.bsky.social. Read more: civitas-maxima.org/universal-ju...

Universal Jurisdiction Annual Review 2026 | Civitas Maxima

Released today, the UJAR 2026 by TRIAL International, in collaboration with Civitas Maxima, CJA, ECCHR, FIDH and REDRESS, highlights growing use of universal jurisdiction worldwide, documenting 91 cas...

civitas-maxima.org

L’ONU détient des millions de preuves sur les crimes de Daech, mais elles restent largement inaccessibles aux victimes et à leurs avocats. Pour @letemps.ch, Alain Werner, directeur de Civitas Maxima, appelle à ouvrir ces archives pour rendre la justice possible. ⚖️

Le Temps@letemps.ch · 4mo ago

CHRONIQUE. L’ONU détient des millions d’éléments de preuves sur les crimes de Daech en Irak, dont certains pourraient contribuer à incriminer des doubles nationaux aujourd’hui en Europe, si les avocats et les victimes pouvaient...

À l’occasion de nos rapports annuels, la série de Heidi.news rappelle que la lutte contre l’impunité ne repose pas seulement sur la CPI, mais sur l’engagement d’acteurs multiples : ONG, juristes, victimes. 📢 À lire : article 5 « Aider les victimes, c’est risquer d’être soi-même attaqué »

CM joined @hrw.org and partners in a joint statement at the UN Human Rights Council calling on #Liberia to turn renewed momentum on accountability into a fully functioning war crimes court. ⚖️ Read more: www.hrw.org/news/2026/03...

Liberia: Momentum on Accountability Must Lead to a Functioning War Crimes Court

Liberia’s support for key recommendations received during its fourth UPR cycle is a significant and welcome step toward at last delivering justice for serious international crimes during the country’s...

hrw.org

From the 1990 assassination of Kazem Rajavi in 🇨🇭 to the Hamid Nouri trial in 🇸🇪 and a new case filed in 🇦🇷, Iranian victims have turned to foreign courts to seek justice for international crimes. Read more on our blog with the EN now available! civitas-maxima.org/from-coppet-...

From Coppet to Stockholm, via Buenos Aires: The Long Quest for Justice for Iranian Victims | Civitas Maxima

Iranian victims are turning to foreign courts to pursue justice for crimes committed by their own government. Three cases—from Switzerland, Sweden and Argentina—show how civil society can mobilize int...

civitas-maxima.org

🚨 Case Update: Martina Johnson Belgian judges have referred former NPFL commander Martina Johnson to trial before the Ghent Assize Court for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during Liberia’s 1992 Operation Octopus. 👇

Last month, Alain Werner took part in the panel “Upholding International Humanitarian Law in Uncertain Times” at the IC Forum hosted by the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs FDFA’ Directorate of International Law. 🎥 The full panel recording is available: www.youtube.com/watch?v=qccO...

IC Forum 2026: Session 1 - Tending the fragile garden: upholding IHL in uncertain times

YouTube video by The International Cooperation Forum Switzerland

youtube.com

De Coppet à Stockholm, en passant par Buenos Aires : la quête de justice des victimes iraniennes traverse les frontières et les décennies, et rappelle combien la quête pour la justice internationale demeure longue, fragile, mais essentielle. À lire dans @letemps.ch 👇

Le Temps@letemps.ch · 5mo ago

CHRONIQUE. Trois exemples de quêtes de justice iraniennes montrent qu’il est possible, pour la société civile, de mobiliser efficacement le droit international lorsque les Etats se révèlent incapables de protéger les victimes...

The Center for Justice and Accountability, @globaljusticec.bsky.social and @hrw.org condemn the armed break-in at the offices of the GJRP in Liberia. Together we call for the protection of human rights defenders working for accountability. Read the full statement civitas-maxima.org/liberia-arme...

Liberia: Armed Break-in Shows Urgent Need to Protect Human Rights Defenders | Civitas Maxima

Armed men raided the Global Justice and Research Project’s office in Monrovia on February 20, threatening staff and assaulting a guard. Rights groups condemn the attack and urge Liberia’s government t...

civitas-maxima.org

In 2026, CM renews its commitment to staff well-being, recognizing the emotional demands of accountability work and engagement with victims and survivors. Together with the Rome Institute for international counseling, we are strengthening our approach to preventing and addressing vicarious trauma.

Why is the crime of aggression so rarely prosecuted, despite often clear facts? Read the article by Alain Werner, Director of Civitas Maxima, now available in English 👇 civitas-maxima.org/the-crime-of...

The crime of aggression: easy to prove, but (almost) never tried | Civitas Maxima

Despite its legal clarity and direct evidence in cases like Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, the crime of aggression remains almost untried—prompting calls for a special tribunal and renewed focus...

civitas-maxima.org

Pourquoi le crime d’agression est-t-il si rarement jugé, malgré des faits souvent clairs ? Lisez l'article d'Alain Werner, directeur de Civitas Maxima, pour le Temps 👇

📢📝 New blog article! Seeking accountability abroad when there is impunity at home often offers a vital path to justice. But what about the security of those who dare to come forward and testify?

In EN on our blog 👇 The article examines the unprecedented political attacks against the ICC in 2025, the silence or complicity of some states, and the pivotal role of national courts in advancing accountability for international crimes despite mounting pressure. civitas-maxima.org/internationa...

International justice in 2025: threatened with death, yet unstoppable | Civitas Maxima

U.S. sanctions against its Prosecutor, contempt for its authority: attacks against the International Criminal Court are relentless. But international crimes are now also being judged by national court...

civitas-maxima.org

La CPI est attaquée comme jamais : sanctions, pressions politiques, états qui ne respectent pas leurs obligations. Mais le centre de gravité de cette justice se déplace, avec de plus en plus de tribunaux nationaux qui rendent justice pour les crimes internationaux. Alain Werner pour Le Temps ⚖️☟

Le Temps@letemps.ch · 8mo ago

CHRONIQUE. Sanctions américaines contre son procureur, mépris de son autorité: les attaques contre la Cour pénale internationale sont incessantes. Mais les crimes internationaux sont désormais jugés aussi par des juridictions...

Senior Legal Counsel, Kristina Hon, joined justice practitioners from around the world at @icjurists.bsky.social’s closed Global Practitioners' Forum on Non-Criminal Justice & Redress held in 🇨🇭 for lively discussions on strengthening non-criminal accountability for serious human rights violations.

📢 La Commission des affaires juridiques du Conseil national a décidé de poursuivre ses travaux sur l’avant-projet de loi fédérale sur l’inscription de la hashtag#torture dans le droit pénal suisse, ouvrant ainsi la voie à son examen par le Parlement.

Although 🇨🇭 helped create international conventions against torture, it still lacks a national law criminalizing it. Director of CM and lawyer Alain Werner calls on Parliament to close this unjustifiable gap and protect victims. Now available in EN on our website 👉 civitas-maxima.org/finally-crim...

Finally criminalizing torture in Switzerland to protect us all | Civitas Maxima

Switzerland, despite its historic role in advancing global anti-torture conventions, still lacks a national law criminalizing torture. Director of Civitas Maxima and laywer Alain Werner urges Parliame...

civitas-maxima.org

Retour sur l'affaire Manuel Terrén et son rôle dans la guerre civile au #SierraLeone. Un nouvel épisode de la série "Poursuivre les crimes de guerre, mode d’emploi", tiré de notre rapport annuel 2024, sur Heidi.news ⬇️ www.heidi.news/explorations...

Et si l’on jugeait aussi les Occidentaux qui ont alimenté les guerres civiles africaines? - Heidi.news

Bientôt devrait se tenir en Europe le premier procès des diamants du sang africains. Un moment historique, car les agitateurs de guerre occidentaux échappent le plus souvent à la justice

heidi.news

🚨 Les 30 et 31 octobre, la Commission des affaires juridiques du Conseil national décidera si l’initiative visant à inscrire la #torture dans le code pénal suisse poursuivra son chemin vers le Parlement.

Alors que la #Suisse a été impliquée dans plusieurs conventions internationales contre la #torture, ces actes n'existent pas comme tels dans la législation. Une anomalie à laquelle Alain Werner, directeur de Civitas Maxima, appelle à remédier. www.letemps.ch/opinions/chr...

Criminaliser enfin la torture en Suisse, pour tous nous protéger - Le Temps

CHRONIQUE. Alors que la Suisse a été impliquée dans la naissance de plusieurs conventions internationales les combattant, les actes de torture n’existent pas comme tels dans la législation. Une anomal...

letemps.ch

🔗 Lire le communiqué complet : bit.ly/4nWzN4n #Suisse #DroitsHumains #Torture #Justice #OMCT

News releases

The World Organisation Against Torture works with 200 member organisations to end torture and ill-treatment, assist victims, and protect human rights…

bit.ly

📌 Twenty-seven years ago, former Chilean dictator Augusto #Pinochet was arrested in London, on the basis of an arrest warrant issued in Spain. Although he was never tried, his case marked a turning point for #internationaljustice.

📢 Breaking: After more than 10 years, the investigation phase in the Martina Johnson war crimes case has been formally closed by the Ghent Court.

📢 New on our blog: Alain Werner's latest opinion piece on #Switzerland, #Putin, and #internationaljustice 🇨🇭🇷🇺⚖️ Now available in English. Read it here: civitas-maxima.org/ignazio-cass...

Ignazio Cassis’s reckless remarks on Vladimir Putin in Switzerland | Civitas Maxima

Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis’s suggestion to grant Vladimir Putin immunity for peace talks undermines international justice. Alain Werner, director of Civitas Maxima, warns that such a move, ...

civitas-maxima.org

Lisez l'épisode n°3 de "Poursuivre les crimes de guerre, mode d’emploi" sur Heidi.news ⬇️ www.heidi.news/explorations...

Qui peut juger quels crimes? Le cas d’école du commandant Kunti Kamara - Heidi.news

La compétence universelle gagne du terrain, mais reste un casse-tête pour ceux qui veulent traduire devant un tribunal les auteurs présumés de crimes internationaux. Qui? Où? Comment? Voici un rapide ...

heidi.news

Pour @letemps.ch, le directeur de Civitas Maxima, Alain Werner, réagit aux propos du conseiller fédéral chargé des Affaires étrangères, Ignazio Cassis, concernant l’éventualité d'une visite de Vladimir Poutine en Suisse. 🇨🇭

Les dangereuses déclarations d'Ignazio Cassis sur Vladimir Poutine en Suisse - Le Temps

CHRONIQUE. Accorder une immunité temporaire à Vladimir Poutine pour lui permettre de venir négocier est juridiquement possible en Suisse, mais cela saperait notre crédibilité comme partenaire fiable d...

letemps.ch

Le Temps@letemps.ch · 10mo ago

OPINIONS. Les dangereuses déclarations d'Ignazio Cassis sur Vladimir Poutine en Suisse ➡️ https://l.letemps.ch/eV3