Now available in English on our blog:
“The UN does not deliver justice itself, but it holds a vast trove of evidence it must make accessible.”
In this op-ed, Alain Werner, director of CM, explains why unlocking UN archives is key to fighting impunity.
Read more: civitas-maxima.org/the-un-does-...
⚖️ Out today: the 2026 Universal Jurisdiction Annual Review
Published by @trialinternational.bsky.social with Civitas Maxima, CJA, @ecchr.bsky.social, @fidh-official.bsky.social
and @redress.org with support from @uprights.bsky.social.
Read more: civitas-maxima.org/universal-ju...
L’ONU détient des millions de preuves sur les crimes de Daech, mais elles restent largement inaccessibles aux victimes et à leurs avocats.
Pour @letemps.ch, Alain Werner, directeur de Civitas Maxima, appelle à ouvrir ces archives pour rendre la justice possible. ⚖️
L'article met en lumière une réalité souvent invisible :
➡️ accompagner les victimes expose à des pressions, intimidations et attaques
Mais ces risques ne sont pas les mêmes partout:
En Suisse notamment, les attaques prennent souvent la forme de diffamation.
Au Liberia, elles sont aussi physiques.
À l’occasion de nos rapports annuels, la série de Heidi.news rappelle que la lutte contre l’impunité ne repose pas seulement sur la CPI, mais sur l’engagement d’acteurs multiples : ONG, juristes, victimes.
📢 À lire : article 5 « Aider les victimes, c’est risquer d’être soi-même attaqué »
CM joined @hrw.org and partners in a joint statement at the UN Human Rights Council calling on #Liberia to turn renewed momentum on accountability into a fully functioning war crimes court. ⚖️
Read more: www.hrw.org/news/2026/03...
From the 1990 assassination of Kazem Rajavi in 🇨🇭 to the Hamid Nouri trial in 🇸🇪 and a new case filed in 🇦🇷, Iranian victims have turned to foreign courts to seek justice for international crimes.
Read more on our blog with the EN now available! civitas-maxima.org/from-coppet-...
This milestone comes 14 years after the investigation began and 34 years after the crimes, marking an important step in victims’ long fight for justice.
CM and the GJRP work alongside victims and their counsel, Luc Walleyn, in this case.
🔗 civitas-maxima.org/martina-john...
🚨 Case Update: Martina Johnson
Belgian judges have referred former NPFL commander Martina Johnson to trial before the Ghent Assize Court for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during Liberia’s 1992 Operation Octopus. 👇
Last month, Alain Werner took part in the panel “Upholding International Humanitarian Law in Uncertain Times” at the IC Forum hosted by the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs FDFA’ Directorate of International Law.
🎥 The full panel recording is available: www.youtube.com/watch?v=qccO...
De Coppet à Stockholm, en passant par Buenos Aires : la quête de justice des victimes iraniennes traverse les frontières et les décennies, et rappelle combien la quête pour la justice internationale demeure longue, fragile, mais essentielle.
À lire dans @letemps.ch 👇
The Center for Justice and Accountability, @globaljusticec.bsky.social and @hrw.org condemn the armed break-in at the offices of the GJRP in Liberia.
Together we call for the protection of human rights defenders working for accountability.
Read the full statement
civitas-maxima.org/liberia-arme...
“When care is embedded in an organization’s culture, support is not only offered when someone is in crisis, but throughout the journey of doing emotionally demanding and morally complex work.”- Rome Institute
Learn more about the institute at: www.romeinstitute.org
#StaffWellbeing #VicariousTrauma
In 2026, CM renews its commitment to staff well-being, recognizing the emotional demands of accountability work and engagement with victims and survivors.
Together with the Rome Institute for international counseling, we are strengthening our approach to preventing and addressing vicarious trauma.
Why is the crime of aggression so rarely prosecuted, despite often clear facts?
Read the article by Alain Werner, Director of Civitas Maxima, now available in English 👇
civitas-maxima.org/the-crime-of...
Pourquoi le crime d’agression est-t-il si rarement jugé, malgré des faits souvent clairs ?
Lisez l'article d'Alain Werner, directeur de Civitas Maxima, pour le Temps 👇
Rethinking how we safeguard those who speak out in the pursuit of accountability is crucial.
👥⚖️ Read more: civitas-maxima.org/the-risk-of-...
This article highlights the serious risks victims, witnesses, and their communities face when participating in extraterritorial cases linked to international crimes, from threats and intimidation to the need of long-term protection.
📢📝 New blog article!
Seeking accountability abroad when there is impunity at home often offers a vital path to justice. But what about the security of those who dare to come forward and testify?
In EN on our blog 👇
The article examines the unprecedented political attacks against the ICC in 2025, the silence or complicity of some states, and the pivotal role of national courts in advancing accountability for international crimes despite mounting pressure.
civitas-maxima.org/internationa...
La CPI est attaquée comme jamais : sanctions, pressions politiques, états qui ne respectent pas leurs obligations.
Mais le centre de gravité de cette justice se déplace, avec de plus en plus de tribunaux nationaux qui rendent justice pour les crimes internationaux.
Alain Werner pour Le Temps ⚖️☟
We are grateful to our colleagues who contribute to this global effort to expand real avenues to justice. ⚖️🤝
The forum focused on sharing comparative practices on civil, administrative, hybrid, and community-based mechanisms that deliver reparations that criminal processes cannot, such as truth, remedy, and guarantees of non-recurrence for survivors.
Senior Legal Counsel, Kristina Hon, joined justice practitioners from around the world at @icjurists.bsky.social’s closed Global Practitioners' Forum on Non-Criminal Justice & Redress held in 🇨🇭 for lively discussions on strengthening non-criminal accountability for serious human rights violations.
👉 Le communiqué de la Commission ici : www.parlament.ch/press-releas...
👉 Notre analyse ici : civitas-maxima.org/fr/no-safe-h... ⬇️
👏 Nous nous réjouissons de cette décision essentielle. Le travail collectif que nous avons mené avec d’autres organisations a porté ses fruits mais le processus n’est pas terminé et nous continuerons de le suivre de près afin que cette lacune importante dans le droit suisse soit enfin comblée !
➡️ Par 19 voix contre 0 et 3 abstentions, elle s’est prononcée en faveur de la variante 2 de l’avant-projet, que nous soutenions, qui inclut les acteurs non étatiques dans le cercle des auteurs, renforce la protection des victimes et aligne le droit pénal suisse sur le droit international.
📢 La Commission des affaires juridiques du Conseil national a décidé de poursuivre ses travaux sur l’avant-projet de loi fédérale sur l’inscription de la hashtag#torture dans le droit pénal suisse, ouvrant ainsi la voie à son examen par le Parlement.
Although 🇨🇭 helped create international conventions against torture, it still lacks a national law criminalizing it. Director of CM and lawyer Alain Werner calls on Parliament to close this unjustifiable gap and protect victims.
Now available in EN on our website 👉 civitas-maxima.org/finally-crim...
