Mark Kersten
@markkersten.bsky.social
Work in human rights, international criminal law, and accountability for mass atrocities - in Canada and around the world.
Professor and advocate.
www.markkersten.com
Professor and advocate.
www.markkersten.com
Pinned
Mark Kersten
@markkersten.bsky.social
· Aug 2
Now available for all to read, open access and free, at JiC.
To understand Genocide in Gaza and elsewhere, we need to talk about it as a process not an event: justiceinconflict.org/2025/08/02/t...
To understand Genocide in Gaza and elsewhere, we need to talk about it as a process not an event: justiceinconflict.org/2025/08/02/t...
The goal must be "to ensure that the ICC continues to operate with as little interruption as possible."
How Canada and the European Union could ensure the survival of the International Criminal Court theconversation.com/how-canada-a... #ICC #ASP24
How Canada and the European Union could ensure the survival of the International Criminal Court theconversation.com/how-canada-a... #ICC #ASP24
How Canada and the European Union could ensure the survival of the International Criminal Court
Canada and the European Union could amend key laws designed to shield companies from American sanctions, which could significantly aid in the operation of the International Criminal Court.
theconversation.com
November 25, 2025 at 6:54 PM
The goal must be "to ensure that the ICC continues to operate with as little interruption as possible."
How Canada and the European Union could ensure the survival of the International Criminal Court theconversation.com/how-canada-a... #ICC #ASP24
How Canada and the European Union could ensure the survival of the International Criminal Court theconversation.com/how-canada-a... #ICC #ASP24
"The drive to harness data & optimize efficiency risks displacing human judgment from one of the most sensitive areas of warfare: deprivation of liberty. In doing so, AI could strip detainees of what remains of their humanity." blogs.icrc.org/law-and-poli... #Artificial_Intelligence #IHL
Outsourcing humanity? International law, humane treatment, and artificial intelligence in detention operations
Detention, at its core, is about people; outsourcing its management to an algorithm risks removing our collective humanity from the equation.
blogs.icrc.org
November 25, 2025 at 6:48 PM
"The drive to harness data & optimize efficiency risks displacing human judgment from one of the most sensitive areas of warfare: deprivation of liberty. In doing so, AI could strip detainees of what remains of their humanity." blogs.icrc.org/law-and-poli... #Artificial_Intelligence #IHL
Canada has an obligation to prosecute the Canadian owner of Streit if the export of the company’s vehicles to Sudan is confirmed, even if they were manufactured in the UAE. www.theglobeandmail.com/world/articl...
#KeepEyesonSudan
#KeepEyesonSudan
Ottawa reviewing two Canadian-owned companies over Sudan links
Foreign Affairs Minister looking into companies that reportedly sold equipment that ended up in the hands of militia connected with atrocities in Darfur
www.theglobeandmail.com
November 25, 2025 at 4:53 PM
Canada has an obligation to prosecute the Canadian owner of Streit if the export of the company’s vehicles to Sudan is confirmed, even if they were manufactured in the UAE. www.theglobeandmail.com/world/articl...
#KeepEyesonSudan
#KeepEyesonSudan
“Now that Americans are blowing up boats rather than interdicting them, it is possible that information shared by Canada could be used to identify potential targets – making this country complicit in violations of the laws of war & international human rights.” www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti...
Opinion: Canada risks complicity in the high-seas killings committed by the U.S.
Canadian technology is being used to target boats off the coast of Venezuela
www.theglobeandmail.com
November 25, 2025 at 1:41 AM
“Now that Americans are blowing up boats rather than interdicting them, it is possible that information shared by Canada could be used to identify potential targets – making this country complicit in violations of the laws of war & international human rights.” www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti...
Good to hear @anitaoakvilleeast.bsky.social say Canada is reviewing two companies over Sudan links, but let’s be real: the first evidence of Canadian-made arms in Sudan was a decade ago.
There needs to be tangible & legal action. Now. www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti... #KeepEyesOnSudan
There needs to be tangible & legal action. Now. www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti... #KeepEyesOnSudan
Opinion: Only the UAE can end the atrocities in Sudan – and the least Carney can do is demand it
One of the worst humanitarian catastrophes in modern history is unfolding, with the Emiratis’ support
www.theglobeandmail.com
November 25, 2025 at 12:41 AM
Good to hear @anitaoakvilleeast.bsky.social say Canada is reviewing two companies over Sudan links, but let’s be real: the first evidence of Canadian-made arms in Sudan was a decade ago.
There needs to be tangible & legal action. Now. www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti... #KeepEyesOnSudan
There needs to be tangible & legal action. Now. www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti... #KeepEyesOnSudan
In the latest peace plan for Ukraine the full amnesty for war crimes is deleted.
It was absurd and insulting to begin with. www.bbc.com/news/article...
It was absurd and insulting to begin with. www.bbc.com/news/article...
Updated peace plan could be a deal Ukraine will take - eventually
The proposed plan is said to have been significantly changed since Sunday - but key sticking points are likely to remain.
www.bbc.com
November 25, 2025 at 12:29 AM
In the latest peace plan for Ukraine the full amnesty for war crimes is deleted.
It was absurd and insulting to begin with. www.bbc.com/news/article...
It was absurd and insulting to begin with. www.bbc.com/news/article...
Lol. Just before the #G20 summit, Trump asked to send a 🇺🇸 delegate to receive the ceremonial gavel as 🇺🇸assumes the org's presidency next week.
🇿🇦 refused to present it to a lower-ranking official & instead invited them to pick it up at the Foreign Ministry: foreignpolicy.com/2025/11/24/g...
🇿🇦 refused to present it to a lower-ranking official & instead invited them to pick it up at the Foreign Ministry: foreignpolicy.com/2025/11/24/g...
Ramaphosa Capitalizes on Trump’s Absence at G-20 Summit
But some experts warn that a lack of U.S. involvement weakens the bloc’s final declaration.
foreignpolicy.com
November 24, 2025 at 10:23 PM
Lol. Just before the #G20 summit, Trump asked to send a 🇺🇸 delegate to receive the ceremonial gavel as 🇺🇸assumes the org's presidency next week.
🇿🇦 refused to present it to a lower-ranking official & instead invited them to pick it up at the Foreign Ministry: foreignpolicy.com/2025/11/24/g...
🇿🇦 refused to present it to a lower-ranking official & instead invited them to pick it up at the Foreign Ministry: foreignpolicy.com/2025/11/24/g...
Many 🇨🇦 mining companies have awful human rights records. They operate in conflict & post-conflict contexts, often at great cost to civilians. Many are implicated in crimes against humanity.
There are fears this is now happening in #Tigray www.theglobeandmail.com/world/articl... #bizhumanrights
There are fears this is now happening in #Tigray www.theglobeandmail.com/world/articl... #bizhumanrights
When Tigray became a ‘Wild West’ of illegal gold mining, Canadian firms staked a claim
A postwar gold rush in Ethiopia razed the landscape and sowed seeds for conflict. The Globe looks into Canadian-licensed sites at the heart of it, and their ties to Beijing
www.theglobeandmail.com
November 24, 2025 at 10:10 PM
Many 🇨🇦 mining companies have awful human rights records. They operate in conflict & post-conflict contexts, often at great cost to civilians. Many are implicated in crimes against humanity.
There are fears this is now happening in #Tigray www.theglobeandmail.com/world/articl... #bizhumanrights
There are fears this is now happening in #Tigray www.theglobeandmail.com/world/articl... #bizhumanrights
"Organized crime is not separate from legal extractivism; it is the violent shock force that makes it possible."
The fight against climate change is also a fight against organized crime: www.openglobalrights.org/the-fight-ag... #COP30
The fight against climate change is also a fight against organized crime: www.openglobalrights.org/the-fight-ag... #COP30
The fight against climate change is also a fight against organized crime
Belém COP cannot succeed without taking decisive action
www.openglobalrights.org
November 24, 2025 at 6:56 PM
"Organized crime is not separate from legal extractivism; it is the violent shock force that makes it possible."
The fight against climate change is also a fight against organized crime: www.openglobalrights.org/the-fight-ag... #COP30
The fight against climate change is also a fight against organized crime: www.openglobalrights.org/the-fight-ag... #COP30
“International law has always been in crisis. That the political situation is difficult doesn’t mean that it has ceased to exist legally, or that the Nuremberg Idea has disappeared.” - Gurgen Petrossian of @nurembergacademy.bsky.social
english.elpais.com/internationa...
english.elpais.com/internationa...
The world is experiencing a new era of impunity 80 years after the Nuremberg trials
From the war in Ukraine to the Middle East and Sudan, international justice is suffering its biggest crisis since the advances of the 1990s
english.elpais.com
November 24, 2025 at 6:45 PM
“International law has always been in crisis. That the political situation is difficult doesn’t mean that it has ceased to exist legally, or that the Nuremberg Idea has disappeared.” - Gurgen Petrossian of @nurembergacademy.bsky.social
english.elpais.com/internationa...
english.elpais.com/internationa...
It’s telling that Canadian authorities will interrogate former UN Special Rapporteurs yet, despite an RCMP structural investigation into the war in Gaza, we’re having a debate whether IDF soldiers who participated in the war, should even be interviewed about their service. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
IDF soldiers are doing speaking events in Canada. Some say they shouldn't be here | CBC News
A violent incident at a Toronto speaking event has sparked calls for more scrutiny on Israeli soldiers entering Canada, with some saying they should be barred entry or investigated for potential parti...
www.cbc.ca
November 24, 2025 at 4:40 PM
It’s telling that Canadian authorities will interrogate former UN Special Rapporteurs yet, despite an RCMP structural investigation into the war in Gaza, we’re having a debate whether IDF soldiers who participated in the war, should even be interviewed about their service. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
“RSF soldiers took turns on us."
Women and girls who escaped the Darfur city of El Fasher after it was seized by the Rapid Support Forces last month have described brutal sexual violence by its fighters: www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news-feature... #KeepEyesonSudan #Darfur
Women and girls who escaped the Darfur city of El Fasher after it was seized by the Rapid Support Forces last month have described brutal sexual violence by its fighters: www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news-feature... #KeepEyesonSudan #Darfur
Women and girls fleeing El Fasher describe widespread RSF sexual violence
The crimes fit into a pattern of the United Arab Emirates-backed paramilitary group using rape as a tool of war.
www.thenewhumanitarian.org
November 24, 2025 at 4:35 PM
“RSF soldiers took turns on us."
Women and girls who escaped the Darfur city of El Fasher after it was seized by the Rapid Support Forces last month have described brutal sexual violence by its fighters: www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news-feature... #KeepEyesonSudan #Darfur
Women and girls who escaped the Darfur city of El Fasher after it was seized by the Rapid Support Forces last month have described brutal sexual violence by its fighters: www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news-feature... #KeepEyesonSudan #Darfur
"The future hope is very simple. People want to live in a safe secure place and be able to cook a hot meal for their children with love and dignity."
Gaza food kitchens still missing essential products despite ceasefire: www.bbc.com/news/article...
Gaza food kitchens still missing essential products despite ceasefire: www.bbc.com/news/article...
Gaza food kitchens still missing essential products despite ceasefire
Israel is allowing more food into Gaza, but aid workers say vital ingredients needed to improve people's diets are still missing.
www.bbc.com
November 24, 2025 at 6:07 AM
"The future hope is very simple. People want to live in a safe secure place and be able to cook a hot meal for their children with love and dignity."
Gaza food kitchens still missing essential products despite ceasefire: www.bbc.com/news/article...
Gaza food kitchens still missing essential products despite ceasefire: www.bbc.com/news/article...
“They all benefit. Except the people of Tigray.”
Canadian companies hold foreign mining licences in Tigray, where operations are replicating neighbouring Sudan: armed groups& foreign capital scaling up mining operations that help sustain devastating war. www.theglobeandmail.com/world/articl...
Canadian companies hold foreign mining licences in Tigray, where operations are replicating neighbouring Sudan: armed groups& foreign capital scaling up mining operations that help sustain devastating war. www.theglobeandmail.com/world/articl...
When Tigray became a ‘Wild West’ of illegal gold mining, Canadian firms staked a claim
A postwar gold rush in Ethiopia razed the landscape and sowed seeds for conflict. The Globe looks into Canadian-licensed sites at the heart of it, and their ties to Beijing
www.theglobeandmail.com
November 23, 2025 at 6:40 PM
“They all benefit. Except the people of Tigray.”
Canadian companies hold foreign mining licences in Tigray, where operations are replicating neighbouring Sudan: armed groups& foreign capital scaling up mining operations that help sustain devastating war. www.theglobeandmail.com/world/articl...
Canadian companies hold foreign mining licences in Tigray, where operations are replicating neighbouring Sudan: armed groups& foreign capital scaling up mining operations that help sustain devastating war. www.theglobeandmail.com/world/articl...
“These sanctions affect every aspect of my daily life... Placing people under sanctions plunges them into a state of constant anxiety and powerlessness, with the aim of discouraging them.” - #ICC Judge Nicolas Guillou on US sanctions: thenational.scot/news/25639977.…#ASP2424
ICC judge says sanctions from Donald Trump 'affect every aspect of my life'
AN international judge who was sanctioned by Donald Trump for approving arrest warrants for Israeli leaders has described how the punishment affects…
https://thenational.scot/news/25639977.…
November 23, 2025 at 6:18 PM
“These sanctions affect every aspect of my daily life... Placing people under sanctions plunges them into a state of constant anxiety and powerlessness, with the aim of discouraging them.” - #ICC Judge Nicolas Guillou on US sanctions: thenational.scot/news/25639977.…#ASP2424
Trump says Ukraine should be grateful for a plan to lop off its own sovereign territory in order to appease the blood lust of a war criminal dictator who steals kids.
What does Putin have on Trump? www.bbc.com/news/live/c3...
What does Putin have on Trump? www.bbc.com/news/live/c3...
Ukraine war: Trump says Ukraine ungrateful as officials meet to convince Kyiv to accept peace proposals
Ukraine's allies have expressed concern that the plan favours Russia, but Zelensky says Kyiv's interests could be included.
www.bbc.com
November 23, 2025 at 4:03 PM
Trump says Ukraine should be grateful for a plan to lop off its own sovereign territory in order to appease the blood lust of a war criminal dictator who steals kids.
What does Putin have on Trump? www.bbc.com/news/live/c3...
What does Putin have on Trump? www.bbc.com/news/live/c3...
IDF soldiers & anyone coming from Gaza to Canada should be interviewed to see if they have evidence of atrocities, incl. potentially their own.
Otherwise, the RMCP’s structural investigation is pointless.
Comments from me &
@jamesyap.bsky.social here: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Otherwise, the RMCP’s structural investigation is pointless.
Comments from me &
@jamesyap.bsky.social here: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
IDF soldiers are doing speaking events in Canada. Some say they shouldn't be here | CBC News
A violent incident at a Toronto speaking event has sparked calls for more scrutiny on Israeli soldiers entering Canada, with some saying they should be barred entry or investigated for potential parti...
www.cbc.ca
November 22, 2025 at 11:31 PM
IDF soldiers & anyone coming from Gaza to Canada should be interviewed to see if they have evidence of atrocities, incl. potentially their own.
Otherwise, the RMCP’s structural investigation is pointless.
Comments from me &
@jamesyap.bsky.social here: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Otherwise, the RMCP’s structural investigation is pointless.
Comments from me &
@jamesyap.bsky.social here: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
“It’s rarely a week goes by where we’re not contacted by somebody who is facing discipline, termination for pro-Palestinian speech.”
Canadian workers' free speech fears persist two years after Israel-Hamas war began
Canadian workers’ free speech fears persist two years after Israel-Hamas war began
Free speech advocates warn that a chill on sharing opinions about the conflict in Gaza, especially criticism of Israel, is here to stay.
www.thestar.com
November 21, 2025 at 10:09 PM
“It’s rarely a week goes by where we’re not contacted by somebody who is facing discipline, termination for pro-Palestinian speech.”
Three countries - the United States, Israel, and Argentina - vote against a UN General Assembly resolution aimed at preventing and ending this use of torture.
These resolutions used to be adopted unanimously. What does it say when these states oppose global opposition to torture?
These resolutions used to be adopted unanimously. What does it say when these states oppose global opposition to torture?
November 21, 2025 at 9:43 PM
Three countries - the United States, Israel, and Argentina - vote against a UN General Assembly resolution aimed at preventing and ending this use of torture.
These resolutions used to be adopted unanimously. What does it say when these states oppose global opposition to torture?
These resolutions used to be adopted unanimously. What does it say when these states oppose global opposition to torture?
32,000 West Bank resident forcibly displaced this year, a crime against humanity, according to a new Human Rights Watch report www.cbc.ca/player/play/... #WestBank
32,000 West Bank resident forcibly displaced this year: Human Rights Watch report
Israel’s expulsion of tens of thousands of Palestinians from three West Bank refugee camps in early 2025 amounts to war crimes and crimes against humanity, Human Rights Watch said in a report released...
www.cbc.ca
November 21, 2025 at 7:19 PM
32,000 West Bank resident forcibly displaced this year, a crime against humanity, according to a new Human Rights Watch report www.cbc.ca/player/play/... #WestBank
Absolutely appalling.
"These exports are bypassing all of Canada’s export controls because of the way they’re routed through the U.S., and nonetheless, they’re still making it to Israel and directly supporting Israel’s capacity to carry out war crimes in Gaza." www.cbc.ca/news/politic... #cdnpoli
"These exports are bypassing all of Canada’s export controls because of the way they’re routed through the U.S., and nonetheless, they’re still making it to Israel and directly supporting Israel’s capacity to carry out war crimes in Gaza." www.cbc.ca/news/politic... #cdnpoli
Canadian-made jet fighter maintenance parts, bombs shipped to Israel via U.S., report suggests | CBC News
Hundreds of shipments of explosives and fighter jet components have made their way from Canada to Israel by passing through the U.S. over the last two years, a new report by a group of four NGOs alleg...
www.cbc.ca
November 19, 2025 at 11:20 PM
Absolutely appalling.
"These exports are bypassing all of Canada’s export controls because of the way they’re routed through the U.S., and nonetheless, they’re still making it to Israel and directly supporting Israel’s capacity to carry out war crimes in Gaza." www.cbc.ca/news/politic... #cdnpoli
"These exports are bypassing all of Canada’s export controls because of the way they’re routed through the U.S., and nonetheless, they’re still making it to Israel and directly supporting Israel’s capacity to carry out war crimes in Gaza." www.cbc.ca/news/politic... #cdnpoli
It is absolutely and entirely incorrect to suggest that it is up to potentially offending states to determine whether or not their actions are legal or not.
Anand urged to reverse 'wrong' course of letting US decide if it breached international law w boat strikes: www.hilltimes.com/story/2025/1...
Anand urged to reverse 'wrong' course of letting US decide if it breached international law w boat strikes: www.hilltimes.com/story/2025/1...
Anand urged to reverse 'wrong' course of letting U.S. decide if it breached international law with boat strikes
International law experts say that Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand has erred in proclaiming that it is up to the U.S. to decide if it has violated international law.
www.hilltimes.com
November 19, 2025 at 6:51 PM
It is absolutely and entirely incorrect to suggest that it is up to potentially offending states to determine whether or not their actions are legal or not.
Anand urged to reverse 'wrong' course of letting US decide if it breached international law w boat strikes: www.hilltimes.com/story/2025/1...
Anand urged to reverse 'wrong' course of letting US decide if it breached international law w boat strikes: www.hilltimes.com/story/2025/1...
Reposted by Mark Kersten
🚨 Can confirm: all of Canada’s objections to the International Criminal Court’s investigation into the situation in Palestine have officially been lifted in the wake of its recognition of Palestinian statehood.
The objections were not legally sound, but this still matters. #ICC
The objections were not legally sound, but this still matters. #ICC
November 18, 2025 at 8:24 PM
🚨 Can confirm: all of Canada’s objections to the International Criminal Court’s investigation into the situation in Palestine have officially been lifted in the wake of its recognition of Palestinian statehood.
The objections were not legally sound, but this still matters. #ICC
The objections were not legally sound, but this still matters. #ICC
"Until the Court applies justice evenly, holding both weak and powerful to the same standard, the charge of 'neo-colonialism' will not go away and will be used to undermine it by those who have no interest in justice"
The Sahel Alliance countries have quit the #ICC: blogs.lse.ac.uk/africaatlse/...
The Sahel Alliance countries have quit the #ICC: blogs.lse.ac.uk/africaatlse/...
The Sahel Alliance countries have quit the ICC. Will it matter? - Africa at LSE
When countries leave any international organisation, it undermines its remit. But what will Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger leaving the ICC mean for justice, asks Abubakar Usman Abubakar. The Sahel Alli...
blogs.lse.ac.uk
November 18, 2025 at 11:52 PM
"Until the Court applies justice evenly, holding both weak and powerful to the same standard, the charge of 'neo-colonialism' will not go away and will be used to undermine it by those who have no interest in justice"
The Sahel Alliance countries have quit the #ICC: blogs.lse.ac.uk/africaatlse/...
The Sahel Alliance countries have quit the #ICC: blogs.lse.ac.uk/africaatlse/...