IJCentral: International Justice Central

“This isn’t a religion,”
…is the first thing my International Criminal Law professor said on our first day of class. I stared at him heartbroken.
I love international criminal law. I have a favorite war crimes prosecutor. I had spent the summer analyzing opinions from international tribunals. For fun, I studied the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court in detail. After hearing my law school’s renowned scholar would teach on the subject, I called the law school and emailed the professor to ensure I’d get into the class. On the first day of class, I sat in the front row, ready to learn from a man who I was sure was as passionate about international criminal justice as I.
“People put too much hope into this,” he continued, further crushing my justice-loving soul.
A couple of years later, I can now finally agree with him. It kills me a little bit, but he’s right. This isn’t a religion, and it shouldn’t be treated as one. The international justice system is far from perfect and shouldn’t be treated as dogma we blindly pursue.
In the last couple decades the international justice system has made incredible advancement. Between the ad hoc tribunals and the permanent International Criminal Court, we’re shaping a legal system that crosses countries and continents. Impunity for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes is moving to become a thing of the past.
Yet, despite the stirring nature of this movement, it is chalk full of imperfections. Ad hoc tribunals have not lived up to their promises of peace and reconciliation for affected communities. There are glaring inconsistencies in how these courts charge and prosecute the same crimes. Despite nearly a decade of work, we have yet to see one conviction come out of the International Criminal Court. And the list goes on.
So yes, after working with and studying the international justice system, I’ve caught more than a little of my professor’s cynicism. But I have to disagree with his approach. I want every student and every professional to recognize that the international justice system isn’t a canon and it needs reform, but only while remaining freakishly passionate about this issue. Because it is an issue that should inspire such passion: the creation of a strong and viable international justice system is a real and definite step towards a better world.
Movements for social change and popular revolutions are screaming for accountability for crimes, and we have the beginnings of a system that can provide just that. We need people to stay motivated about the potential of the international justice movement, because without people like that, it won’t get anywhere.

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Sarah Pierce is a recent law school graduate with a long history of experience working with nonprofit organizations devoted to international justice and social change.
Follow Sarah on Twitter: @sarahcpierce