The International Criminal Court's Office of the Prosecutor supports the Human Rights and International Law Forum run by the Sanela Diana Jenkins Foundation at UCLA School of Law

International Criminal Law Forum

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Featured Comments

  • BBM: I would like to pose the following questions to the experts: 1.) Did the ILC make an error is striking State Responsibility from the Zutphen Drafts? The problem as I see it is that the victims may be awarded a large monetary sum, either collectively or individually, and there is a single defendant; what if he or she judgment proof? And what if the TFV has insufficient funds to meet the award? 2.) Without an overarching body speaking for the Court and not each individual chamber, does the... (more)
  • grant2012: Monuments and Museums as Reparations after Mass Atrocities Argument: The International Criminal Court should utilize monuments and museums as a form of collective reparations once a coherent, shared narrative has emerged after mass atrocities. To determine if a narrative has emerged, the Court should look to the majority views within the parties to a conflict to determine if there is agreement as to the occurrence of crimes and the roles of the... (more)
  • jonathan.tobin: Argument: The International Criminal Court may be ill-equipped to make reparations decisions in all cases. Instead of seeking to make these specific determinations, the ICC should focus its resources on creating a set of standards and guidelines that local reparations committees—drawn from local governments, organizations and victims’ groups—can use to make decisions about how reparations funds will be distributed. The... (more)
  • nmoley: Argument: In seeking to achieve rehabilitative justice, the ICC should implement reparative schemes through the Victim’s Trust Fund (VTF). When doing so, an approach which parallels the principle of complementarity in the criminal prosecution context also provides a good model for reparations. By working in conjunction with domestic agencies to issue reparations schemes, the VTF can conserve resources,... (more)
  • Kimia: Allocation of Voluntary Contributions of the Trust Fund for Victims Argument—Because a defendant’s assets usually do not provide for adequate resources to compensate his victims, the TFV’s “other resources” mechanism needs to be used effectively. Following a ravaged conflict, the term “victim” should be defined to include individuals who are not directly linked to the crimes of the defendant undergoing... (more)
  • elio: When deciding on a reparations regime to implement, the International Criminal Court should evaluate each context individually. The ICC should then tailor the reparations regime it adopts to best fit the society, culture, and particular circumstances of each case while taking account of practical limitations. I. Introduction Reparations provisions are a relatively new development in the context of international criminal law... (more)
  • Sean.Lowe: How to Disentangle State Assets from Reparation Funds Argument: Assuming the implementation of a reparations regime pursuant to Article 75 of the Rome Statute, the ICC will face a particularly daunting task: how to treat the assets of the convicted when these are commingled with those misappropriated from the state. I propose the creation of a judicial mechanism giving the trial division a degree of... (more)

About Us

Editor-in-Chief
Richard H. Steinberg
Associate Editors
  1. Kimia Ghalambor
  2. Elio Gonzalez
  3. Andrew Grant
  4. Sean Lowe
  5. Nell G. Moley
  6. Jonathan Tobin
Design & Operations
  1. Christopher Werby
  2. Olga Werby
Web Work
Pipsqueak Productions, LLC

Introduction to the Forum

This Forum is run by Dr. Richard H. Steinberg of the Sanela Diana Jenkins Human Rights Project at UCLA School of Law (UCLA Law) with the support of the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC OTP).

In this video, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, the ICC’s Prosecutor, introduces the Forum. If you’re on an iPad, do a reverse pinch to expand the window and play the video.

The purpose of the Forum is to allow members of the legal community, governments, academics, and others to debate complex issues of international criminal law faced by the Office of the Prosecutor in the course of its work at the ICC. Membership and participation in this Forum are open to everyone. We welcome you to express your opinion, and we request a civil debate which directly addresses the legal issue set forth in the current question.

Since its inception in 2002, the ICC has advanced international justice and human rights by embracing new developments in human rights law. As with any emerging body of law, it is important to gather as much insight as possible on highly contested issues. And what better way to share insight than through the Internet?

The Forum will deal with one substantive legal issue at a time in the form of a question—we anticipate addressing five questions a year. The questions are developed jointly by the ICC OTP and UCLA Law. Some of the world’s preeminent legal experts on the issue raised by the questions will be invited to give their opinions. The relevant decisions of the Prosecutor or the Judges of the ICC will also be included. Those opinions, in turn, provide a strong foundation for further online discussion.

We invite every interested person to register and post their own views on the question in a courteous and polite manner. Posts should be on-point. The Forum does not permit hate speech or ad hominem attacks.

Posts which violate the Rules and Guidelines will be promptly removed. Posters who violate the guidelines may be prohibited from further postings. The subject matter that concerns the ICC (crimes against humanity, genocide, gender crimes, and so on) is adult in nature, and accordingly this Forum is not appropriate for children.

This Forum is not an opinion poll. It is about allowing voices to be heard, but not counted. The number of posts for or against a certain point of view is not relevant here. What’s compelling is the argument. While the ICC OTP will be informed by the Forum, the Forum is obviously not intended to direct the OTP’s actions.

You’re free to read the Forum anonymously, but to join the discussion, you must register with your real name and email address. Your email address is not publicly displayed, pursuant to our Privacy Policy Statement. The Forum has an internal messaging system and will serve as an intermediary between member conversations, unless those members choose otherwise. Each member may have an optional biographical profile. Spamming or advertising services is not permitted.

Your first few comments won’t be displayed until approved by our staff. After you’re a trusted member, your posts will no longer require advance approval.

By posting on this Forum, an unrestricted license to edit, publish, and republish the material is granted to the Regents of the University of California without restriction of any kind. Some issues discussed in the Forum may be compiled into book or article format for distribution.

UCLA Law hopes that this Forum will help provide clarity on the legal positions of difficult, novel and complex issues facing the International Criminal Court. Please join us. We look forward to reading your contribution.

Web work on the Forum is by Pipsqueak Productions. If you have feedback or other comments, please send email to info@uclalawforum.com.

The Sanela Diana Jenkins Human Rights Project

Sanela Diana Jenkins wins the Mostar Peace Connection Prize in 2008 for her humanitarian works.

In 2008, Sanela Diana Jenkins won the Mostar Peace Connection Prize for her humanitarian works.

The Sanela Diana Jenkins Human Rights Project was established in 2009 by a generous gift from Sanela Diana Jenkins, who works on an on-going basis with UCLA faculty and students to advance the cause of human rights and international justice around the world.

Sanela Diana Jenkins has turned a life of hardship into triumph, as she has developed into a successful business woman, a devoted mother, and a philanthropist.

As a native of Sarajevo, Bosnia, Jenkins lived her childhood and teenage years in the midst of genocide. She lived in the country long enough to graduate from Sarajevo University with a degree in economics. Shortly thereafter, Jenkins was forced to flee her homeland during the war in Bosnia, which was responsible for the death of her brother Irnis. Compelled to leave her parents behind, Jenkins found herself as a refugee in London, where she was eventually granted asylum.

Richard H. Steinberg

Dr. Richard H. Steinberg, Project Director

Jenkins has dedicated a large part of her attention back to her native land by establishing The Sanela Diana Jenkins Foundation for Bosnia in Memory of Irnis Catic. The Foundation, which is closely associated with the funding of the medical school at the University of Sarajevo, aims to provide financial support toward establishing Bosnian schools and orphanages. Additionally, it is instrumental in building homes for the country’s poor, supplying emergency aid & relief, and cleaning the country’s lakes and polluted areas. The Foundation is the largest privately funded Bosnian organization of its kind. In 2008, Jenkins won the Mostar Peace Connection Prize for her humanitarian work.

Richard H. Steinberg is the Director of the Sanela Diana Jenkins International Human Rights Project. A UCLA Professor of Law and a Visiting Professor and Senior Scholar at Stanford University, Dr. Steinberg writes and teaches in the areas of international law and international relations. He is on the Board of Editors of the American Journal of International Law and International Organization, as well as a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

For more information, please visit the Sanela Diana Jenkins Human Rights Project Web page.

Forum Schedule

All issues are open for comment.

  • The Gaza Jurisdiction Issue

    Should the ICC Investigate War Crimes in Gaza? First question begun on September 1, 2010.

  • The Darfur Issue

    What Should the ICC Do About the Darfur Situation? Second question begun on January 26, 2011.

  • The Oversight Issue

    What is the Proper Balance Between Oversight and Independence? Third question begun on May 6, 2011.

  • The Prevention Issue

    How can the ICC Maximize its Crime Prevention Impact? Fourth question begun on October 6, 2011.

  • The Libya Issue

    Where Should Saif al-Islam Gaddafi be Tried? Special member debate begun on November 21, 2011.

  • The Reparations Issue

    Reparations for Addressing Mass Atrocities and War Crimes? Fifth question begun on February 6, 2012.