JusticeInfo - Fondation Hirondelle

20/09/2025

: "Justice should have been a Filipino fight. It still can be - but not without a brave and concerted effort", says Tom Smith (professor of International Relations).

"Will the International Criminal Court (ICC) weaken Filipino institutions? Only if Filipinos let it become the substitute for domestic accountability. The smarter play is complementarity: use the international case as leverage to rebuild the rule of law at home."

The action plan proposed by Tom Smith (in 3 points) consists of "combining the Duterte case before the ICC with a credible domestic justice agenda that narrows the space for manipulation and delivery local domestic accountability for those that actually did the killing or were closer in the kill chain.

1/ Protect witnesses
2/ Clean up the Philippines
3/ Put victims first"

All the details can be found in Tom Smith's article on Justice Info 👇
https://www.justiceinfo.net/en/150012-how-the-icc-can-make-dutertes-trial-useful-to-filipinos-or-miss-it.html

19/09/2025

"If you think the International Criminal Court’s case against Rodrigo Duterte is just about law, you’re missing the bigger picture. In Manila, the trial lands right in the middle of a recalibrated power game", explains Tom Smith (professor of international relations).

"The question isn’t only whether The Hague can convict [Duterte] – his guilt is hardly contested. It’s whether this process strengthens Philippine democracy or, perversely, hardens the very forces it aims to check."

"Will the Duterte trial deliver justice for victims? It can – partly. The ICC can establish an authoritative record, give victims standing, and narrow the space for revisionism. But its limits are real and familiar: slow timelines, a thin conviction record, and dependence on states that may change their minds. Even supporters concede the court’s throughput is glacial. For Filipinos, justice delayed risks being justice delegitimised."

"In the midterms, Sara Duterte-aligned forces (Rodrigo Duterte’s daughter) performed well enough to keep her 2028 presidential path open. Her father’s trial will likely not be over by the time the family takes over the Palace – then what?"

Read Tom Smith's article now on Justice Info: "How the ICC can make Duterte’s trial useful to Filipinos – or miss it" 👇
https://www.justiceinfo.net/en/150012-how-the-icc-can-make-dutertes-trial-useful-to-filipinos-or-miss-it.html

19/09/2025

🇵🇭 [opinion] - Hearings in the case against former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte before the International Criminal Court, to be held from September 23 to 26, were postponed.

Professor Tom Smith explains how the ICC trial could avoid being just a show trial.

Read the article now on Justice Info 👇
https://www.justiceinfo.net/en/150012-how-the-icc-can-make-dutertes-trial-useful-to-filipinos-or-miss-it.html

Hearings in the case against former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte before the International Criminal Court were postponed. Professor Tom Smith explains how the ICC trial could avoid being just a show trial.

19/09/2025

🇵🇭 [opinion] - Le procès de l'ex-président philippin Rodrigo Duterte devant la Cour pénale internationale est reporté.

Le professeur Tom Smith explique comment éviter un simple procès-spectacle.

Les audiences dans l'affaire contre l'ancien président philippin Rodrigo Duterte devant la Cour pénale internationale ont été reportées. Le professeur Tom Smith explique comment ce procès peut éviter d'être un simple procès-spectacle.

18/09/2025

On Monday, September 15, former US official James Rubin told the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague that former Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi was “a public face” to present to the West and “was not in charge” of the armed group that took part in the 1998-1999 war in Kosovo. Rubin was the first defence witness in the trial of Thaçi and three other former members of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Called to the stand by Thaçi's defence team, James Rubin stated:

💬 “It was clear to me that he was not in charge. He didn't have the knowledge, the capabilities, or the authority to make decisions in any way, shape, or form.”

💬 “We wanted to be sure we were, as we put it in government, on the side of the angels. That's what we would say to each other, that we were for the victims. And they wouldn't be victims if they were committing war crimes…”

💬 “That troubles me,” said Rubin. “The fact that the defendant has been in prison for five years after voluntarily offering himself up to the court at a time when he was about to make a peace agreement with the Serb leader troubled me, that politics would enter into the rule of law.”

For more quotes (and the questions asked by the prosecution), read Margherita Capacci's article now on Justice Info 👇

https://www.justiceinfo.net/en/149960-james-rubin-kosovo-memories.html

18/09/2025

🇽🇰 - James Rubin was a defence witness this week in the trial of former Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi before the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague.

Rubin was the former chief spokesman for the US State Department under Madeleine Albright.

The former chief spokesman for the US State Department under Madeleine Albright was a defence witness this week in the trial of former Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi before the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague.

18/09/2025

🇽🇰 - James Rubin a témoigné cette semaine pour la défense de l'ancien président du Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi, devant les Chambres spécialisées du Kosovo, à La Haye.

Rubin est l'ancien porte-parole du département d'État américain sous Madeleine Albright et Bill Clinton.

L'ancien porte-parole du département d'État américain sous Madeleine Albright a témoigné cette semaine pour la défense de l'ancien président du Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi, devant les Chambres spécialisées du Kosovo, à La Haye.

16/09/2025

Colombia - "En la próxima semana, cuando la JEP dicte sus primeras sentencias, la cuestión principal será qué lecciones, si es que hay alguna, se aprenderán de los proyectos restaurativos existentes. El riesgo es que la gran promesa del acuerdo de paz se quede en nada y que el enfoque restaurativo de la JEP acabe sumándose a la pila de buenas intenciones."

- Abigail Herrad / Meghan Velotas

Lea ahora el artículo en Justice Info: La justicia restaurativa en Colombia en la encrucijada 👇
https://www.justiceinfo.net/es/149862-justicia-restaurativa-colombia-encrucijada.html

16/09/2025

🇨🇴 [opinion] - Ahora que la Jurisdicción Especial para la Paz de Colombia está a punto de dictar su primera sentencia esta semana, Abigail Herrada y Meghan Velotas reflexionan sobre el sistema restaurativo, sus promesas, sus avances actuales y su futuro.

Ahora que la Jurisdicción Especial para la Paz de Colombia está a punto de dictar su primera sentencia esta semana, Abigail Herrada y Meghan Velotas reflexionan sobre el sistema restaurativo.

16/09/2025

🇵🇸 [AFP] - The report published today by the international commission of inquiry established by the UN Human Rights Council finds that Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip. The chair of the Commission explains this in an op-ed published by the New York Times.

Meanwhile, the Israeli army has launched a massive offensive on Gaza City.

The report published on September 16 by the international commission of inquiry established by the UN Human Rights Council finds that Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip. The chair of the Commission explains this in an op-ed published by the New York Ti...

16/09/2025

🇨🇴 [opinion] - As Colombia’s Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) is about to issue its two first sentences this week, on 16 and 18 September, Abigail Herrada and Meghan Velotas examine the restorative aspect of the sanctions imposed by this court, which remains at an exploratory stage.

As Colombia’s Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) is about to issue its two first sentences on 16 and 18 September, Abigail Herrada and Meghan Velotas examine the restorative aspect of the sanctions.

16/09/2025

🇨🇴 [opinion] - Alors que la Juridiction spéciale pour la Paix (JEP) s’apprête en Colombie à rendre ses deux premiers jugements cette semaine, les 16 et 18 septembre, Abigail Herrada et Meghan Velotas s’interrogent sur le volet restauratif des sanctions devant ce tribunal, qui reste au stade exploratoire.

Alors que la Juridiction spéciale pour la Paix (JEP) s’apprête en Colombie à rendre ses deux premiers jugements le 16 et 18 septembre, Abigail Herrada et Meghan Velotas s’interrogent sur le volet restauratif des sanctions.