International Criminal Law

Our practitioners have prosecuted, defended and represented victims in leading cases before the international criminal courts and tribunals involving allegations of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. Members of the international criminal law team have worked on cases involving alleged international crimes committed in the former Yugoslavia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Cambodia, Uganda, Libya, Lebanon, Kenya, Kosovo, the Central African Republic and elsewhere. 

Before the International Criminal Court 

• Prosecutor v Jean-Pierre Bemba – Associate Kate Gibson acted as Co-Counsel to the former Vice-President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, who was acquitted of crimes against humanity and war crimes  

• Situation in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan -Tim Moloney KC, Megan Hirst, and Peta-Louise Bagott represent victims of rendition and torture. They were among the victims’ counsel who successfully argued for the Appeals Chamber to overturn Pre Trial-Chamber II’s decision refusing authorisation of an investigation into crimes committed in Afghanistan.  

• Situation in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (ICC-02/17 OA4) - Steven Powles KC Represented a group of Pakistani drone victims before the Appeals Chamber in attempt to overturn Pre-Trial Chamber refusal to open an investigation. 

• Prosecutor v Bosco Ntaganda – Associate Kate Gibson acts as Co-Counsel to a former commander of the UPC/FPLC in the Democratic Republic of Congo, charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity. 

• Situation in the People’s Republic of Bangladesh/Republic of the Union of Myanmar -  Megan Hirst and Jelia Sane act as counsel for Rohingya genocide victims from the village of Tula Toli,  currently living in refugee camps in Bangladesh. Associate Kate Gibson is instructed through Victims Advocates International to represent 80 victims who are also in the camps in Bangladesh. 

• Prosecutor v Aime Kilolo Musamba and others - Steven Powles KC represented a lawyer accused of procuring false testimony and witness tampering on behalf of client. 

• Prosecutor v Henry Kosgey and others - Steven Powles KC defended former Kenyan Government Minister accused of crimes against humanity. 

• Prosecutor v Dominic Ongwen- Megan Hirst acted as junior in the external legal team representing approximately 2600 victim participants in the case.  

• The Prosecutor v. Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi and Abdullah Al Senussi -John RWD Jones KC and Amal Clooney acted as defence counsel in the case, and Wayne Jordash KC represented the Libyan government. 

• The Prosecutor v. Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman (‘Ali Kushayb’). Amal Clooney represented a group of over 100 Darfuri victims in a criminal case against a commander of the Janjaweed militia in the Darfur region of Sudan charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity and accused of supporting the Bashir regime in a war that claimed over 300,000 lives. 

Article 15 submissions to the International Criminal Court –  

Situation in the State of Palestine- Tatyana Eatwell submitted a complaint to the ICC Office of the Prosecution in its investigation into the Occupied Palestinian Territories, concerning unlawful targeting of Palestinian journalists by members of the Israeli security forces and the targeting of media houses in Palestine in the May 2021 conflict. 

Before other international courts/tribunals 

International Residual Mechanism for the International Criminal Tribunals  

• Prosecutor v Radovan Karadžic - Associate Kate Gibson acted as Co-Counsel on appeal for the former President of the Republika Srpska, charged with genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity 

• Prosecutor v Naser Orić. Megan Hirst acted as junior for Vasvija Vicović and John Jones KC in the appeal of this matter for war crimes allegedly committed in Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

• Ratko Mladić v The Prosecutor- Peta-Louise Bagott. Ratko Mladić was convicted of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes committed between 1992 – 1995 and sentenced to life imprisonment. The appeal briefs were filed in August 2018. Peta-Louise was responsible for managing the team, drafting grounds of appeal, finalising the appeal brief and responding to the Prosecution’s appeal against the acquittal on Count 1 (genocide in the municipalities). She was granted rights of audience and made submissions before the Appeals Chamber at the appeal hearing in August 2020.

• Radovan Karadžić v The Prosecutor. Peta-Louise Bagott, together with Felicity Gerry KC and a group of international scholars, granted leave to file as Amicus Curiae in the Appeals Chamber as the second lead applicant.

International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia/ International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda  

• Prosecutor v Mugenzi et al. - Associate Kate Gibson acted as Lead Counsel for Justin Mugenzi, former Minister of Trade and Commerce, who was acquitted of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. 

• Prosecutor v Jean-Baptiste Gatete – Associate Kate Gibson acted as Co-Counsel to the former bourgmestre of Murambi commune, charged with genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity 

• Čermak & Markač- John RWD Jones KC and Guenael Mettraux secured a historic acquittal at the ICTY for Croatian Generals Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markač - who had been sentenced in 2011 to 24 years and 18 years respectively for crimes against humanity and war crimes. 

• Steven Powles KC has represented a member of the Kosovo Liberation Army accused of War Crimes before the ICTY. 

• Mićo Stanišić (IT-04-79)- Wayne Jordash KC acted as lead counsel at the ICTY defending Jovica Stanišić, the first intelligence chief to be tried by an international criminal tribunal, and also acts as a consultant to the appellate team in the case of Mr. Sagahutu, convicted in 2011 at the ICTR for the crime of genocide. 

• Prosecutor v Zuhdija Tabakovic (IT-98-32/1-R77.1) - Steven Powles KC acted in the allegation of contempt arising from acceptance of payment from defence lawyer to provide false testimony. 

• Prosecutor v Prlic and others (IT-04-74) - Steven Powles KC represented the UN during the testimony of former UN staff member in closed session proceedings. 

• Prosecutor v Isak Musliu (IT-03-66) - Steven Powles KC defended ex-member of Kosovo Liberation Army accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity.  

• Prosecutor v Brdjanin (IT-99-36-AR73.9) - Steven Powles KC represented Washington Post reporter Jonathan Randal at the ICTY in establishing qualified privilege for war correspondents. 

• Prosecutor v. Milosevic - Amal Clooney represented the judicial assistant to Judge Patrick Robinson, Presiding Judge in the first trial of a head of state -- the ex-President of the former Republic of Yugoslavia -- for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. 

• Prosecutor v. Radovan Karadžić (IT-95-5/18) - Kevin Jon Heller served as one of Karadžić’s formally-appointed legal associates. 

Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia 

• Case 002/02 – from 2019-2022 Megan Hirst was lead international counsel for civil parties (participating victims) in Case 002/02 , in which the most senior surviving Khmer Rouge leaders were tried. Megan represented the nearly 4000 civil parties in the appeal proceedings.    

• Case 001 – Associate Kate Gibson was a legal assistant to Civil Party Group 1 in the case against Kaing Guek Eav (‘Duch’).  

Special Court for Sierra Leone  

• Prosecutor v Charles Ghankay Taylor- Associate Kate Gibson was Co-Counsel to the former Liberian President on appeal. Steven Powles KC represented President Taylor in potential fresh evidence appeal, and is also seeking to further challenge the lawfulness of his detention in the UKL. 

• Prosecutor v Moinina Fofana (SCSL-2004-14-T) - Steven Powles KC defended ex-member of Civil Defence Forces in proceedings at Special Court for Sierra Leone. 

• Prosecutor v Morris Kallon - Steven Powles KC defended ex-member of Revolutionary United Front accused of War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity, arguing the legality of the establishment of Special Court (2004) 16 BHRC 227 and status of amnesty granted under international law (2004) 16 BHRC 252. 

Special Tribunal for Lebanon 

• Prosecutor v. Ayyash et al. - Amal Clooney was a member of the prosecuting team at the first UN-created court dealing with terrorism. The case concerned five persons accused of assassinating former Lebanese Prime Minister Hariri and others in a terrorist attack in Beirut. 

Amicus curiae or submissions before international courts  

Members of our team are often involved with amicus curiae or submissions before international courts, lending their expertise and unique insight to international criminal proceedings. These include-  

• The Prosecutor v Bosco Ntganda [2020]: Peta-Louise Bagott was granted leave by the Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Court to file submissions as amicus curiae under rule 103 on the definition of ‘attack’ in article 8(2)(e)(iv) of the Rome Statute. 

• Prosecutor v Dominic Ongwen - in December 2021, Jelia Sane filed an amicus curiae before the Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Court on the interpretation of the crime of enslavement under the Rome Statute. 

Prosecution before international courts 

Fergal Gaynor is Reserve International Co-Prosecutor at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) and former prosecutor at the ICTY.

Victim representation 

Our team have represented victims at all stages of international criminal proceedings: from submitting communications to the prosecution calling for preliminary examinations to be opened, all the way through to final appeals and reparations proceedings. We are experienced in assisting victims to apply for participation, and familiar with the special procedures in place at the ICC and other international courts relating to victims’ rights. 

Domestic Prosecution of International Crimes  

Members of the team have advised victim groups seeking to initiate prosecutions in English, South African and Kenyan courts, including under domestic ICC legislation, and applying the principle of universal jurisdiction, for example in relation to Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Madagascar, and Israel. We have submitted written evidence to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights on amending the law on international crimes to allow retrospective prosecutions under the ICC Act 2001 and acted as principal legal consultant for the Aegis Trust, the UK's Genocide trust, successfully campaigning with Aegis for a change in the law on international crimes. This resulted in section 70 of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 which now permits genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes committed since 1 January 1991, anywhere in the world, to be prosecuted in the UK when the perpetrator is British or a British resident. 

Members have acted in high profile cases involving the application of international law in domestic criminal proceedings for example, R v TRA [2019] UKSC 51 (torture, international criminal law, war crimes, Liberia) and R v Gul [2013] UKSC 64 (definition of terrorism, armed conflict, jurisdiction). 

• R v Gul [2013] UKSC 64 - Tatyana Eatwell was involved in the leading case on the definition of terrorism as provided by section 1 of the Terrorism Act 2000, and its application to situations of armed conflict. The case involved legal argument on the relationship between international humanitarian law, international criminal law, and domestic criminal laws with respect to the prosecution of terrorism offences relating to situations of armed conflicts abroad. 

• US vs. Ramzi Bin Al-Shibh (US military commission) - Kevin Jon Heller served as legal advisor and expert witness to the defendant’s Military Commission Defence Office team. Ramzi was one of the defendants in the 9/11 trial until he was found unfit to stand trial. 

• Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum, United States Supreme Court – Kevin Jon Heller helped draft amicus brief concerning the criminal responsibility of corporations in the aftermath of World War II, submitted on behalf of more than 15 Nuremberg scholars.

• Salim v. Mitchell, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington – Kevin Jon Heller served as plaintiff’s expert witness in Alien Tort Statute lawsuit against the psychologists responsible for creating and administering the CIA’s torture program. Was responsible for drafting report concerning the existence of a customary norm prohibiting medical experimentation. Defendants settled on the eve of trial – the first and still only successful lawsuit involving the torture program. 

Universal Jurisdiction work 

Members of the team have been involved in some of the leading universal jurisdiction cases.

• R v Agnes Reeves-Taylor [2019] UKSC 51- Tatyana Eatwell and Steven Powles KC acted in this case establishing legal precedent in the United Kingdom concerning the definition of torture, and the meaning of ‘person acting in an official capacity’ for the purposes of Article 1 of the UN Convention against Torture and section 134 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988. They represented former First Lady of Liberia charged with allegations of torture during Liberia’s civil war, and challenged whether the UN Convention against Torture is applicable to armed opposition groups before Supreme Court. 

• R v FF- Kirsty Brimelow KC led in a judicial review of DPP’s decision not to investigate a Prince of Bahrain under universal jurisdiction in relation to torture, a key case litigated on crime and diplomatic immunity since House of Lords judgments in Pinochet. 

• Myanmar Accountability Project on the exercise of universal jurisdiction to prosecute members of the Myanmar junta for crimes against humanity (Tatyana Eatwell) 

• National Commissioner of The South African Police Service v Southern African Human Rights Litigation Centre and Another (CCT 02/14) [2014] ZACC 30 (Zimbabwe Torture Docket Case)- On behalf of torture victims, Kevin Jon Heller co-authored an amicus brief concerning the right of states to conduct investigations in absentia for crimes subject to universal jurisdiction. Constitutional Court held in favor of victims and adopted the reasoning of the amicus brief in toto. 

In particular, Amal Clooney’s work on in Syria/Iraq and ISIS and the Yazidi Genocide under Universal Jurisdiction laws is particularly significant, and includes-  

• Prosecutor v. LafargeHolcim- representation of Yazidi women in landmark criminal proceedings before the French courts against the French multinational, LafargeHolcim. The company is the first in the world to be charged with financing terrorism and complicity in crimes against humanity committed by ISIS. 

• Prosecutor v. Taha A.-J- Representation of a Yazidi woman who was the key witness and a ‘co-prosecutor’ in a criminal case before the Regional Court of Munich.  The defendant was a senior member of ISIS who purchased, enslaved, tortured the client and murdered the client’s 5-year old daughter. This is the first case in the world in which a member of ISIS was convicted of genocide and it represents a landmark precedent for cases under universal jurisdiction laws.  

• Prosecutor v. Jennifer W- Representation of a Yazidi woman who was the key witness and a ‘co-prosecutor’ in a criminal case before the Higher Regional Court of Munich, Germany. The defendant was a senior member of ISIS’ ‘morality police’ (hisbah) and, together with her husband, purchased, enslaved, tortured the client and murdered the client’s 5-year old daughter. 

• Prosecutor v. Sarah O- Represented a Yazidi woman who was the key witness and a ‘co-prosecutor’ in a criminal case against “Sarah O” before the Regional Court of Düsseldorf. The defendant was a member of ISIL’s hisbah. This case is one of only a handful of cases in which an ISIS member has been charged with international crimes against Yazidis. 

• Prosecutor v. Jalda A- Represented a Yazidi woman who was the key witness and a  ‘co-prosecutor’ in a criminal case against “Jalda A” before the Higher Regional Court of Hamburg, in one of only two cases charging ISIS with genocide. 

Litigation on international criminal issues before other international courts 

International Court of Justice  

Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (The Gambia v. Myanmar) Amal Clooney, with Professor Philippa Webb, represent the Republic of the Maldives, who are intervening in the case before the ICJ concerning the alleged genocide committed against the Rohingyas in Myanmar. The case was brought by The Gambia against Myanmar, alleging that acts committed by Myanmar’s military and security forces against members of the Rohingya group in Myanmar’s Rakhine State from 2016 onwards constitute genocide, in violation of the 1948 Genocide Convention. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Maldives announced the Maldives’ decision to seek to intervene in the case on 25 February 2020, shortly after the proceedings were launched, becoming the first state and currently the only state from the Global South to do so. The Maldives’ declaration focuses on the construction of the duty to punish genocide under the Genocide Convention.

South African Courts 

Max du Plessis represents clients in South African courts in cases involving torture as a crime against humanity committed in Zimbabwe, and international crimes committed in Rwanda, South Africa and (together with Professor John Dugard SC) the Occupied Palestinian Territories. 

African Court of Human Rights 

Tike Mwambipile and Equality Now V. The United Republic of Tanzania – Amal Clooney led a team of lawyers at the Clooney Foundation for Justice who filed a submission with their partners, Equality Now, and Tike Mwambipile, executive director of the Tanzania Women Lawyers’ Association, to challenge Tanzania’s policy of banning married and pregnant girls from school in a landmark case before the Court. The Tanzanian Government has already u-turned, announcing a reversal of this discriminatory policy that impacts more than 1 in 4 girls of high school age in the country.

Inter-American Human Rights System 

Azaz Al Ameri v The Government of United States of America- Kirsty Brimelow KC, Kevin Jon Heller, Jelia Sane and Tayyiba Bajwa submitted a petition to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights against the United States on behalf of families in Yemen who were victims of drone strikes.  

Members of the team have advised victim groups seeking to initiate prosecutions in English, South African and Kenyan courts, including under domestic ICC legislation, and applying the principle of universal jurisdiction, for example in relation to Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Madagascar, and Israel. A member of the team also submitted written evidence to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights on amending the law on international crimes to allow retrospective prosecutions under the ICC Act 2001 and also acted as principal legal consultant for the Aegis Trust, the UK's Genocide trust, successfully campaigning with Aegis for a change in the law on international crimes. This resulted in section 70 of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 which now permits genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes committed since 1 January 1991, anywhere in the world, to be prosecuted in the UK when the perpetrator is British or a British resident. 

Members have acted in high profile cases involving the application of international law in domestic criminal proceedings for example, R v TRA [2019] UKSC 51 (torture, international criminal law, war crimes, Liberia) and R v Gul [2013] UKSC 64 (definition of terrorism, armed conflict, jurisdiction). 

• R v Gul [2013] UKSC 64 - Tatyana Eatwell was involved in the leading case on the definition of terrorism as provided by section 1 of the Terrorism Act 2000, and its application to situations of armed conflict. The case involved legal argument on the relationship between international humanitarian law, international criminal law, and domestic criminal laws with respect to the prosecution of terrorism offences relating to situations of armed conflicts abroad. 

• US vs. Ramzi Bin Al-Shibh (US military commission) -- Kevin Jon Heller served as legal advisor and expert witness to the defendant’s Military Commission Defence Office team. Ramzi was one of the defendants in the 9/11 trial until he was found unfit to stand trial. 

• Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum, United States Supreme Court – Kevin Jon Heller. Helped draft amicus brief concerning the criminal responsibility of corporations in the aftermath of World War II, submitted on behalf of more than 15 Nuremberg scholars. 

• Salim v. Mitchell, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington – Kevin Jon Heller. Served as plaintiff’s expert witness in Alien Tort Statute lawsuit against the psychologists responsible for creating and administering the CIA’s torture program. Was responsible for drafting report concerning the existence of a customary norm prohibiting medical experimentation. Defendants settled on the eve of trial – the first and still only successful lawsuit involving the torture program. 

Universal Jurisdiction work 

Members of the team have been involved in some of the leading universal jurisdiction cases… 

• R v Agnes Reeves-Taylor [2019] UKSC 51- Tatyana Eatwell and Steven Powles KC acted in this case establishing legal precedent in the United Kingdom concerning the definition of torture and the meaning of ‘person acting in an official capacity’ for the purposes of Article 1 of the UN Convention against Torture and section 134 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988.  Represented former First Lady of Liberia charged with allegations of torture during Liberia’s civil war. Challenged whether UN Convention against Torture is applicable to armed opposition groups before Supreme Court. 

• R v FF- Kirsty Brimelow KC led in a judicial review of DPP’s decision not to investigate a Prince of Bahrain under universal jurisdiction in relation to torture, a key case litigated on crime and diplomatic immunity since House of Lords judgments in Pinochet. 

• Myanmar Accountability Project on the exercise of universal jurisdiction to prosecute members of the Myanmar junta for crimes against humanity (Tatyana Eatwell) 

• National Commissioner of The South African Police Service v Southern African Human Rights Litigation Centre and Another (CCT 02/14) [2014] ZACC 30 (Zimbabwe Torture Docket Case) -- Kevin Jon Heller. On behalf of torture victims, co-authored amicus brief concerning the right of states to conduct investigations in absentia for crimes subject to universal jurisdiction. Constitutional Court held in favor of victims and adopted the reasoning of the amicus brief in toto. 

• In particular, Amal Clooney’s work on in Syria/Iraq and ISIS and the Yazidi Genocide under Universal Jurisdiction laws is particularly significant, and includes-  

• Prosecutor v. LafargeHolcim- representation of Yazidi women in landmark criminal proceedings before the French courts against the French multinational, LafargeHolcim. The company is the first in the world to be charged with financing terrorism and complicity in crimes against humanity committed by ISIS. 

• Prosecutor v. Taha A.-J- Representation of a Yazidi woman who was the key witness and a ‘co-prosecutor’ in a criminal case before the Regional Court of Munich.  The defendant was a senior member of ISIS who purchased, enslaved, tortured the client and murdered the client’s 5-year old daughter. This is the first case in the world in which a member of ISIS was convicted of genocide and it represents a landmark precedent for cases under universal jurisdiction laws.  

• Prosecutor v. Jennifer W- Representation of a Yazidi woman who was the key witness and a ‘co-prosecutor’ in a criminal case before the Higher Regional Court of Munich, Germany. The defendant was a senior member of ISIS’ ‘morality police’ (hisbah) and, together with her husband, purchased, enslaved, tortured the client and murdered the client’s 5-year old daughter. 

• Prosecutor v. Sarah O - Represented a Yazidi woman who was the key witness and a ‘co-prosecutor’ in a criminal case against “Sarah O” before the Regional Court of Düsseldorf. The defendant was a member of ISIL’s hisbah. This case is one of only a handful of cases in which an ISIS member has been charged with international crimes against Yazidis. 

• Prosecutor v. Jalda A - Represented a Yazidi woman who was the key witness and a  ‘co-prosecutor’ in a criminal case against “Jalda A” before the Higher Regional Court of Hamburg, in one of only two cases charging ISIS with genocide. 

Doughty Street members, associates and academic experts have held various appointments at the international courts and tribunals, including:  

• Kosovo Specialist Chambers- Fergal Gaynor, current Judge in the Trial Panel; Guenael Mettraux, current judge in the Trial Panel. 

• International Criminal Court- Sir Howard Morrison KC is a former judge. 

• Special Tribunal for the Lebanon- Sir Howard Morrison is a former appointed judge. 

• UN International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia- Sir Howard Morrison is a former judge.  

• Special Advisors to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Amal Clooney and Academic Expert Kevin Jon Heller. Amal is appointed as the Special Adviser to the Prosecutor of the ICC on Darfur and supports the Prosecutor in efforts to gather evidence and hold accountable those who committed atrocities in Darfur, Sudan. Kevin Jon Heller is the Special Advisor on War Crimes.  

The following members and associates are on the list of counsel for the International Criminal Court-   

• Geoffrey Robertson KC
• Andrew Hall KC 
• Tim Moloney KC
• Joe Stone KC 
• Steven Powles KC
• Amos Waldman 
• Megan Hirst
• Tatyana Eatwell 
• Amal Clooney 
• Sean Summerfield
• Associate Patrick O Connor KC
• Associate Nancy Hollander 
• Associate Kate Gibson
• Associate Fergal Gaynor 
• Associate Mikolaj Pietrzak
• Associate Dr Guénaël Mettraux

Investigative work 

Our members have advised or appeared before the following UN-sponsored investigations and commissions, including: 

• The United Nations International Independent Investigation Commission (UNIIIC) investigating the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and other terrorist attacks in Lebanon; 

• The UN Fact Finding Mission on Myanmar, 

• The Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI); 

• The office of Kofi Annan, Joint Special Envoy of the United Nations and League of Arab States on Syria. 

• International human rights fact-finding missions organised by the International Bar Association and the Bar Human Rights Committee to countries including Syria, Egypt, Rwanda, Burma and Nigeria; 

• The advisory committee for the Proposed International Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes Against Humanity. 

Our members have provided advice to Governments, individuals, NGOs and victims groups on international criminal prosecutions and legal and institutional reform relating to accountability for torture. They also provide legal advice to organisations on ICL litigation strategies, and conduct research for NGOs and academic institutions on international justice issues. 

Members have done advisory work in relation to the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), the UN International Independent Investigation Commission investigating political assassinations in Beirut, including the assassination of the former Lebanese Prime Minister and the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry. 

DSI members also represented States and NGOs during negotiations to establish the International Criminal Court and at meetings of the Assembly of States Parties, including the Kampala Conference that adopted a definition of the crime of aggression and other amendments to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. 

Particular highlights in this area include- 

• Amal Clooney- involvement in the Strengthening Accountability for International Crimes Project, which aims to identify the major gaps in the UK’s legal framework governing the prosecution of international crimes and the obstacles faced by practitioners in bringing successful cases. Once the challenges and proposed solutions have been outlined, the British Institute of International and Comparative, Redress, and Clooney Foundation for Justice will advocate for reforms that strengthen accountability for international crimes in the UK. 

• Amal Clooney- adviser to Kofi Annan in his capacity as Joint Special Envoy of the UN and the Arab League on the Syrian peace process. 

• Amal Clooney- leader of Legal Task Force on Accountability for Crimes Committed in Ukraine (2022), established at the request of the government of Ukraine to advise on delivering justice for victims of crimes committed by Russia in Ukraine. Also appointed by President Zelensky to his Working Group on Compensation for Damage Cause to Ukraine. 

• Jelia Sane- legal submission to the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (SJP) on behalf of male victims of conflict-related sexual violence in Colombia. Jelia acts as Senior Legal and Policy Adviser of the All Survivors Project NGO, working on access to justice for male victims of conflict-related sexual violence.

• Member of Expert Panel, Amnesty International – Kevin Jon Heller. One of five international-law experts hired by Amnesty International to review the substantive conclusions of its press release that accused the Ukrainian armed forces of co-locating near civilian populations in violation of IHL.  

• Senior Advisor for International Humanitarian and Criminal Law, UNITAD – Kevin Jon Heller. Formally appointed by the UN to advise the Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Da’esh in Iraq on issues of IHL and ICL. Creating training programs for Iraqi judges, prosecutors, and investigators 

• Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria, Geneva, Switzerland – Kevin Jon Heller. Advised the Commission on various issues involving international human rights law, international humanitarian law, and international criminal law. Most recently helped Commission analyse potential criminal responsibility of NGOs involved in facilitating evacuations of civilians from occupied towns and villages. 

• United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, Kabul, Afghanistan – Kevin Jon Heller. Advised UNAMA on various issues involving international human rights law, international humanitarian law, and international criminal law. 

• Al-Aulaqi v. Obama, U.S. District Court for the D.C Circuit – Kevin Jon Heller. Advised ACLU and Center for Constitutional Rights on international-law aspects of targeted killing. 

We regularly conduct advocacy and legal training of prosecution and defence advocates, as well as judges, in association with the International Bar Association, the International Lawyers Project, the International Crime in Africa Programme at the Institute for Security Studies, and the Commonwealth Secretariat. Members have trained judges, lawyers, prosecutors, government officials, NGOs and military officers, including the British Army and judges in Sierra Leone, Rwanda, Tunisia, Tanzania, South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Mauritius, Kenya, Uganda and Bahrain. 

Many team members are associated with universities and institutes and lecture and teach on international criminal law and procedure, as well as offer analysis on television and other media, on issues relating to international criminal law. 

Team members are regularly called upon to lecture and provide training seminars at institutions the world over, and can be instructed on this basis. 

The wealth of experience gained by team members means that they are internationally recognised specialists and they have authored many of the leading text books in the field: Steven Powles is the Co-Author of the leading textbook ‘International Criminal Practice (OUP), and Amal Clooney is the co-author of the Right to a Fair Trial in International Law (OUP, 2020), now considered the leading treatise on the right to a fair trial. Megan Hirst is the co-editor of Victim Participation in International Criminal Justice (2017) which is the leading text on victims’ participation in international criminal trials.  Amal is also currently co-editing a forthcoming book, Freedom of Speech in International Law, with Lord Neuberger, former President of the Supreme Court. It will be published by OUP in 2023. 

• Amal Clooney is an Adjunct Professor of International Law at Columbia Law School where she currently teaches International Law and International Criminal Law (with Professor Sarah Cleveland).   

• Jelia provides training for access to justice for male victims of conflict-relate sexual violence and on the investigation and prosecution of sexual violence to ICL stakeholders Rapid Response, the Special Jurisdiction for Peace in Colombia, the Joint Unit for Rapid Intervention and Eradication of Sexual Violence against Women and Children in the Central African Republic. 

• Kirsty Brimelow KC has been engaged by the British embassy in Kazakhstan to train law officers on international criminal law and corruption. For the last 10 years Kirsty has compiled and led trainings on child rights and terrorist laws in Nigeria.  

• Peta-Louise Bagottt has been involved in the Ukraine Judges Training Project, a project arising from the UK’s initiative to support and fund judicial capacity building to prosecute international crimes in Ukraine. Peta-Louise was selected to lead the drafting of training manuals to be used by Sir Howard Morris KC to deliver judicial training to over 90 Ukrainian judges.  

• Steven Powles KC- Lectured team of OSCE monitors on elements of international crimes (Sarajevo, Bosnia). 

• Steven Powles KC- Lectured members of British armed forces on laws of war and at NATO lawyers' conference (Moenchengladbach, Germany). 

• Steven Powles KC- Organised and provided legal and advocacy training to members of Sierra Leone bar to appear at Special Court for Sierra Leone (Freetown, Sierra Leone) 

• Jelia Sane has worked with Minority Rights Group International to deliver a series of workshops (in French) to domestic practitioners in Mauritania on the prohibition of slavery in international law and avenues for redress before the African and UN human rights systems. 

• Australian Defence Force, Sydney, Australia – Kevin Jon Heller. Conducted training on international humanitarian law and international criminal law for Army officers. Will teach similar subjects each year 

• Professional Training on International Humanitarian Law and Policy, Multiple Locations – Kevin Jon Heller. Taught multiple seminars on international human rights law, international humanitarian law, and international criminal law. Trainings are co-sponsored by the Harvard Program on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research and Professionals in Humanitarian Assistance and Protection (PHAP). Have conducted trainings in Jerusalem (lead instructor), Nairobi, Geneva, Jericho, Istanbul (lead instructor), London (co-lead instructor), and Brussels (special training for ECHO). 

• Canadian Defence College, Toronto, Canada – Kevin Jon Heller. Conducted training on individual and command responsibility for 63 Majors from 12 countries. 

• Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Canberra, Australia – Kevin Jon Heller. Provided training in international law to incoming diplomats. 

• International Bar Association/Office of the Prosecutor-General, Ukraine – Kevin Jon Heller. Provided training to Ukrainian defence attorneys. 

DSI boasts an impressive Academic Expert Panel who can be called upon to provide their expertise in international criminal law, in litigation and advice, and can be instructed to appear before international courts as experts in the field. Our academics regularly collaborate with our practitioners and work with them on some of the leading cases and matters in the field, providing the holistic, multidisciplinary approach that Doughty Street International is known for.  

Our world-renowned academics specialising in ICL and the crossover between ICL and IHRL/other areas of international law, are Kevin Jon Heller, Prince Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, Professor Juan E. Mendez, and Elizabeth Wilmshurst CMG (Associate Fellow Chatham House) and Professor John Dugard SC who currently sits as a Judge Ad Hoc at the International Court of Justice.  

Key publications 

• In her role as a member of the Executive Committee of the Bar Human Rights Committee (2020-2021), Tatyana Eatwell co-authored a high-level briefing paper on ‘Responsibility of States under International Law to Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims in Xinjiang, China’, July 2020.

• Amal Clooney- The Right to a Fair Trial in International Law, with P. Webb (Oxford University Press, 2020), considered "a formidable reference tool" (Judge Sir Howard Morrison, Judge formerly at the International Criminal Court); “a tour de force" (Karim Khan QC , Chief Prosecutor, International Criminal Court); "a must-read book for everyone in the field" (Judge Françoise Tulkens, former Vice-President of the European Court of Human Rights) and "the definitive work now on fair trial rights" (Professor Beth van Schaack, Stanford University). 

• Amal Clooney- The Special Tribunal for Lebanon: Law and Practice (co-edited with D. Tolbert and N. Jurdi (Oxford University Press, 2014). 

• Jelia Sane (with Keina Yoshida), drafted a handbook (in French) for TRIAL International aimed at domestic prosecutors and judges in the DRC on the admissibility of audiovisual evidence, including open source evidence and digital evidence, in international criminal proceedings (with Keina Yoshida) 

• Kevin Jon Heller et al. (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of International Criminal law (Oxford University Press, 2018) Asked by press to serve as lead editor and select other editors. 

• Kevin Jon Heller, The Nuremberg Military Tribunals and the Origins of International Criminal Law (Oxford University Press, 2011). 

• Kevin Jon Heller & Gerry Simpson (eds.), Hidden Histories of War Crimes Trials (Oxford University Press, 2013).