OUVRAGE : M. Bergsmo (ed.), Thematic Prosecution of International Sex Crimes

Paulo de BRITO

By singling out the theme of recruitment and use of child soldiers in its first case (the Lubanga case), the International Criminal Court cannot but attract attention to the idea of thematic prosecution, both at the international and domestic levels. This is the first book to deal with the topic of thematic prosecution of core international crimes. It concentrates on the prosecutorial thematization of international sex crimes. Thematic prosecutions, which focus on a narrow range of criminality, need to be based on well-founded reasons to maintain public legitimacy.

This anthology's various chapters examine the possible rationales for thematic prosecution, its implementation in different contexts, and how it interacts with institutional, social, and political factors. By doing so, the anthology seeks to raise awareness of, and generate informed discussion about, the use of thematic prosecutions among those working in criminal justice agencies, academia, civil society, and the media. The book includes contributions by, inter alia, Kai Ambos, Olympia Bekou, Richard J. Goldstone, Fabricio Guariglia, Margaret M. deGuzman, Neha Jain, Christopher Mahony, and Valerie Oosterveld.

CHEAH Wui Ling
FICHL Senior Adviser
Assistant Professor, National University of Singapore

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Towards Rational Thematic Prosecution and the Challenge of International Sex Crimes,
by Morten Bergsmo and CHEAH Wui Ling

2. An Expressive Rationale for the Thematic Prosecution of Sex Crimes,
by Margaret M. deGuzman

3. ‘Those Most Responsible’ versus International Sex Crimes: Competing Prosecution Themes?,
by Fabricio Guariglia

4. Prioritising International Sex Crimes before the Special Court for Sierra Leone: One More Instrument of Political Manipulation?,
by Christopher Mahony

5. Prospect for Thematic Prosecution of International Sex Crimes in Latin America,
by Flor de Maria Valdez-Arroyo

6. Thematic Prosecution of International Sex Crimes and Stigmatisation of Victims and Survivors: Two Sides of the Same Coin?,
by Benson Chinedu Olugbuo

7. Thematic Prosecutions for Crimes Against Children,
by Susanna Greijer

8. Looking Forward: The Prosecution of Sex Crimes in National Courts,
by Paloma Soria Montañez

9. Contextualising Sexual Violence in the Prosecution of International Crimes,
by Valerie Oosterveld

10. Going Beyond Prosecutorial Discretion: Institutional Factors Influencing Thematic Prosecution,
by Neha Jain

11. Special Mechanisms to Investigate and Prosecute International Sex Crimes: Pro and Contra Arguments,
by Olympia Bekou

12. Science and International Thematic Prosecution of Sex Crimes: A Tale of Re-Essentialisation,
by Alejandra Azuero Quijano

13. Thematic Investigations and Prosecution of International Sex Crimes: Some Critical Comments from a Theoretical and Comparative Perspective,
by Kai Ambos

14. UN Military Peacekeeper Complicity in Sexual Abuse: The ICC or a Tri-Hybrid Court,
by Roisin Burke

15. The Impact of Prosecutorial Strategy on the Investigation and Prosecution of Sexual Violence at International Criminal Tribunals,
by Niamh Hayes

Morten BERGSMO (ed.), Thematic Prosecution of International Sex Crimes, Beijing, Torkel Opsahl Academic EPublisher, 2012 (452 pp.)

The printed version of the book is available through online distributors such as Amazon. A free online version can be accessed at the Forum for International Criminal and Humanitarian Law (FICHL). The book was launched at an event co-organized by Georgetown-CTLS and the FICHL in London on 25 April 2012.