Statement on the World Day for International Justice, 2021
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Tomorrow, 17 July, marks the World Day for International Justice. In celebration of this day, the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect commends the enduring commitment of various states, multilateral institutions and civil society to upholding their responsibility to protect by pursuing justice for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. This annual commemoration is an important moment to acknowledge achievements made in fighting impunity and to raise awareness about the challenges that remain.
The past year saw two landmark legal cases. On 4 February the Trial Chamber of the International Criminal Court (ICC) found former Lord’s Resistance Army commander Dominic Ongwen guilty of 61 counts of crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in northern Uganda between 1 July 2002 and 31 December 2005. This case marked the first time the ICC considered the offences of forced pregnancy and forced marriage as war crimes, contributing to the development of international jurisprudence.