About this event
International criminal justice and its international institutions are in a truly agenda-shaping moment. Simultaneously, the number of states exercising their jurisdiction to pursue domestic prosecutions of individuals responsible for international crimes grows by the day, and new hybrid criminal justice institutions are being pursued and announced for situations around the world. Yet, this moment exposes – perhaps most starkly than ever – the politics of international criminal justice, the fragility of its institutions and its norms, and their vulnerability to realpolitik and the interests of the powerful. It might be argued that a marker of the success of international criminal justice’s norms and institutions is its ability to pose a credible threat to the interests of those actors who, until recently, enjoyed the assumption of impunity. However, it is equally true that international criminal justice’s temerity to pursue accountability for the powerful and their allies places international criminal justice and its institutions in an existentially dangerous place.
Following a hugely successful conference in 2024, in 2025 the University of Nottingham School of Law in partnership with the International Criminal Justice Unit of the University of Nottingham Human Rights Law Centre is once again organising a two day conference to bring together people working across the diverse field of international criminal justice. At this interdisciplinary conference, we are aiming to foster connections between academics, practitioners and policymakers, as we hear about recent developments in research and practice, and explore, discuss and debate current issues in the field.
About International Criminal Justice at the University of Nottingham
The School of Law at the University of Nottingham has long been associated with excellence in international criminal law research and research-led teaching. Established in 2003, the International Criminal Justice Unit of the University of Nottingham Human Rights Law Centre has hosted high-profile conferences and organised seminars, including at the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the Assembly of States Parties annual sessions. The ICJ Unit currently has responsibility for the National Implementing Legislation Database (NILD) of the International Criminal Court's Legal Tools Project. The School of Law has a vast network of alumni who have gone on to forge careers in international criminal justice as academics and practitioners. The organisers hope to welcome some of these alumni back to Nottingham for this conference, while also extending this network to include a wider community of academics and practitioners working in the space of international criminal justice.
Beyond international criminal law specifically, the School of Law has a rich pedigree in the fields of human rights, criminal justice, criminal evidence, humanitarian law, disaster law, international organisations law, and the jus ad bellum. In addition to the Human Rights Law Centre, the School is home to the Nottingham International Law and Security Centre (NILSC) and the Criminal Justice Research Centre. Reflective of this breadth of expertise, this conference takes an open and pluralistic approach to addressing the most pressing challenges addressed by and affecting our field