Justice in an Ever-Evolving (Digital) World – A Reflection on the Annual International Bar Association’s War Crimes Conference

Abstract

This opinion article gives an overview of discussions on the future of international criminal justice during the International Bar Association’s Annual War Crimes Conference, held in The Hague on April 13th, 2019. The topics set out focus on international criminal investigations, more specifically on who is investigating (which actors) and how is being investigated. This article first discusses corporations and international crimes and highlights the different ways in which corporations can be involved in atrocities. Then, the role of private (non-state) actors is discussed, more notably the role of civil society and private investigators. The third topic relates to UN investigative mechanisms, namely those for Iraq, Myanmar and Syria. Each section starts with an overview of panellists’ presentations and ends with the author’s own reflections. The article ends with a general overview on the future of international criminal investigations and additional reflections and suggestions for practice and further research.