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Mark Kersten @markkersten.bsky.social · 6h

“Ukraine had to make enormous efforts to convince the international community that we should not wait and make justice dependent on the outcome of the war.”

The idea of a special tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine – explained: euobserver.com/eu-and-the-w... #Ukraine

The idea of a special tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine – explained

EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas has pledged €10m to support the creation of a special tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine. But what exactly would such a tribunal mean in practice...

euobserver.com

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Mark Kersten @markkersten.bsky.social · 6h

“The conclusion of the trial is like a beam of light from another galaxy... [and] demonstrates that the ICC is scrupulous and just. The question is whether the governments that are members of the court… will rally to support it.” - Alex de Waal for @lrb.co.uk www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2025/oc... #Darfur

https://lrb.co.uk/blog/2025/octo…

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Mark Kersten @markkersten.bsky.social · 6h

Successful peace deals cannot work without two things:

1️⃣ new leadership of the parties, willing to struggle for peace and willing to make themselves unpopular by agreeing to essential compromises

2️⃣ united, strong international pressure on both parties

www.economist.com/by-invitatio...

Jan Egeland on the best chance for peace in the Middle East since the Oslo accords

To succeed, the process will require new leadership and sustained external pressure, writes the peace-deal veteran

www.economist.com

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Mark Kersten @markkersten.bsky.social · 1d

"It's what these mothers, these children, these fathers, what they've been put through is just absolutely astonishingly inhumane, & I sincerely hope that Israel and the West will never do something like this again."

American critical care surgeon on life in Gaza: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftDP...

Palestinians subjected to 'astonishingly inhumane' conditions, critical care surgeon says

YouTube video by CBC News

www.youtube.com

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Reposted by Mark Kersten

Alex Neve @alexneve.bsky.social · 2d

Such a great conversation with dear friend @markkersten.bsky.social and a tremendous turnout & great questions at @goufv.bsky.social.

Universal human rights are our greatest hope, the power & responsibility to meet the promise is ours.

Mark Kersten @markkersten.bsky.social · 3d

Together, bit by bit, & day by day, we can make human rights a reality for all - not some; everywhere - not just some places; and always - not just when it is convenient.

Thank you @alexneve.bsky.social for this critical conversation on universalizing the promise of human rights @goufv.bsky.social!

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Mark Kersten @markkersten.bsky.social · 2d

“Children, women and the elderly were killed in cold blood, and many were completely burned. The situation has gone beyond disaster and genocide inside the city, and the world remains silent.”

RSF strikes kill at least 60 in Sudan displacement camp: www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...

Militia strikes kill at least 60 in Sudan displacement camp, says El Fasher group

Drone and artillery strikes by RSF paramilitaries hit Dar al-Arqam shelter in western city, says resistance committee

www.theguardian.com

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Mark Kersten @markkersten.bsky.social · 3d

“My mom was so proud to be Canadian. She stood for everything Canada used to stand for, justice, respect, human rights, and I feel like that’s something that Canada was proud of and suddenly it feels like it’s a little lost." www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic...

Canadian woman calls for justice for parents killed in Hamas Oct. 7 attack

Iris Weinstein Haggai says she can’t let herself get too excited about the news of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas

www.theglobeandmail.com

Mark Kersten @markkersten.bsky.social · 3d

Together, bit by bit, & day by day, we can make human rights a reality for all - not some; everywhere - not just some places; and always - not just when it is convenient.

Thank you @alexneve.bsky.social for this critical conversation on universalizing the promise of human rights @goufv.bsky.social!

Mark Kersten @markkersten.bsky.social · 4d

Whether in Ukraine, Canada, Gaza, Myanmar, or elsewhere, a key strategy of denialists is to claim that calling out genocide "dilutes" or "weakens" the term.

The claim is wrong in law & fact, and always & purposefully ignores legal obligations to *prevent* genocide.

Case in point:

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Mark Kersten @markkersten.bsky.social · 4d

"Inertia and lack of urgency from successive governments on the history of residential schools and denialism also leave room for the distortion of history."

What’s Canada Doing about Residential School Denialism? thetyee.ca/News/2025/10...

What’s Canada Doing about Residential School Denialism? | The Tyee

The problem is growing, experts say, and the government needs to act fast to address it.

thetyee.ca

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Reposted by Mark Kersten

Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) @msf.ca · 4d

“There's been a responsibility for world leaders including Canada to uphold International Humanitarian Law and that doesn't simply go away at the flip of a switch or the announcement of a peace agreement,” says @sana.msf.ca, Executive Director of MSF.

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Mark Kersten @markkersten.bsky.social · 4d

"There has to be more human rights oversight…. We are seeing Canadian weapons being misused."

Canadian tech helped U.S. strike alleged Venezuelan drug boats: @ploughshares_ca report ici.radio-canada.ca/rci/en/news/... #cdnfp #cdnpoli

Canadian tech helped U.S. strike alleged Venezuelan drug boats: report | RCI

Global Affairs Canada says it’s ‘aware of the U.S. operation and is monitoring the situation’

ici.radio-canada.ca

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Mark Kersten @markkersten.bsky.social · 5d

“We stand here today with good news, but to me, the battle still carries on. A lot of survivors lost their culture, the language, way of life, our identity."

Saskatchewan apologized, agreed to pay $40m settlement to Survivors of Île-à-la-Crosse School: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/... #saskatchewan

Sask. apologizes, agrees to pay $40M to survivors of Île-à-la-Crosse residential school | CBC News

The Saskatchewan government is apologizing to former students of the Île-à-la-Crosse Boarding School and has agreed to pay $40.2 million in restitution to them and their families.

www.cbc.ca

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Reposted by Mark Kersten

Betcy Jose @betcy.bsky.social · 6d

#KeepEyesOnSudan

Global Voices @globalvoices.org · 6d

The armed conflict in Sudan seems to be one of the world's most forgotten civil wars. The reigning silence surrounding this conflict plunges the population into daily turmoil.

Sudan is bleeding in silence: A humanitarian crisis the world cannot ignore

The armed conflict in Sudan seems to be one of the world's most forgotten civil wars. The reigning silence surrounding this conflict plunges the population into daily turmoil.

globalvoices.org

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Mark Kersten @markkersten.bsky.social · 6d

“Putin should be in The Hague to face the charges against him, not attending summits hosted by an ICC member,” @hrw.org says as Putin visits Tajikistan: www.hrw.org/news/2025/10...

Tajikistan: Arrest Putin

Tajikistan should deny entry to Russian President Vladimir Putin or arrest him if he enters the country, based on an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant for him.

www.hrw.org

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Mark Kersten @markkersten.bsky.social · 6d

“Israel’s generals and soldiers are aware they are killing large numbers of children. The former head of military intelligence for much of the war said “it did not matter now” if children were among the dead.”

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Mark Kersten @markkersten.bsky.social · 6d

“Far from comprehensive, the list does not include the thousands still buried under the rubble of destroyed buildings, as well as the war’s many indirect victims”

The list of 18,457 children killed in Gaza: a poignant, humanizing, & heart-breaking investigation👇 www.theguardian.com/world/ng-int...

Young lives cut short on an unimaginable scale: the 18,457 children on Gaza’s list of war dead

Every name on a list compiled by health authorities in Gaza of the child victims of Israel’s offensive

www.theguardian.com

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Mark Kersten @markkersten.bsky.social · 6d

And today as much as every day, I hope that the hostages and those taken from their loved ones and homes are returned to their families. The anguish and pain of not knowing if or when you will be reunited with loved ones is relentless. Let us hope their wait ends very very soon.

Mark Kersten @markkersten.bsky.social · 6d

The meeting, at least the public bits, was alarming:

✅ Jokes about annexing Canada met w laughs & no serious pushback
✅ Carney calling Trump a "transformational" leader
✅ No tariff relief or deals
✅ No mention of human rights issues, like sanctions against ICC staff or Canadians in ICE detention

Anita Anand @anitaoakvilleeast.bsky.social · 6d

Joined the Eurasia Group’s Canada-U.S. Summit from Washington to discuss Canada’s foreign policy priorities and the importance of today’s meeting between Prime Minister Carney and President Trump.

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Mark Kersten @markkersten.bsky.social · 6d

"A lot of them are malnourished and they are facing executions on the road, some gunshots."

Sudan's civil war has faded from headlines, but monitors say it's the largest humanitarian crisis in the world, writes Margaret Evans: www.cbc.ca/news/world/e... #KeepEyesonSudan #Darfur

Sudan's civil war has faded from headlines, but monitors say it's the largest humanitarian crisis in the world | CBC News

The UN says more than 12 million Sudanese have been displaced since its civil war began in spring 2023, making it the largest humanitarian crisis in the world. Aid agencies, including Medecins Sans Fr...

www.cbc.ca

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Mark Kersten @markkersten.bsky.social · 6d

“My number was 66. They didn’t call us by our names. They called us by our numbers.” - Residential School Survivor Beverly Albrecht.

We wrote about this in the Final Report of the OSI. Erasing identities is a key method of dehumanization and atrocity: osi-bis.ca/wp-content/u...

osi-bis.ca

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Mark Kersten @markkersten.bsky.social · 6d

Transforming places of atrocity into places of truth, knowledge and healing is an act of justice.

A former Ontario residential school, the Mohawk Institute Residential School, reopens as a museum: www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic...

A former Ontario residential school reopens as a museum

Once part of a system notorious for abuse, the institution is now a place for learning and reflection

www.theglobeandmail.com

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Mark Kersten @markkersten.bsky.social · 6d

"Immunities are back in vogue."

Pinochet, Bashir, Putin, Netanyahu, Gallant, Herzog: Immunities for High Officials – the Importance of Getting State Practice Right: www.ejiltalk.org/pinochet-bas...

Pinochet, Bashir, Putin, Netanyahu, Gallant, Herzog: Immunities for High Officials – the Importance of Getting State Practice Right

Immunities are back in vogue. And the debate about them – their relevance, and whether they can shield wanted war criminals from investigation, prosecution or issued arrest warrants – is again front ...

www.ejiltalk.org

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Mark Kersten @markkersten.bsky.social · 7d

📢 For anyone working on the #ICC’s investigation in the Philippines and the prosecution of former President Rodrigo Duterte over crimes against humanity committed during his so-called drug war, this special issue is looking for folks to write on just that! 👇

Adam Kochanski @adamkochanski.bsky.social · 13d

📢 Hun Joon Kim (Korea University) and I are co-editing a special of JCEAS on "Norm Contestation and the Politics of #TransitionalJustice in East and Southeast Asia." Please send us your 250-word abstract by Oct 15. Link to full CfP below 👇 www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/7v61o... #IRtheory #IRnorms

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Mark Kersten @markkersten.bsky.social · 7d

My thoughts are w the victims of the ongoing horrors in the Middle East. They didnt choose this fight. They are treated like pawns in a war marked by atrocities, hate, & a disregard for our common humanity.

It’s by caring for each other -for all & not just some - that we can forge a better future.

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