Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law
Documentation for Accountability
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Abstract
The cost of armed conflict is borne not only in the stark number of lives lost, but also in the grave atrocity crimes committed during these periods. Despite the legal protections set forth in the Geneva Conventions and other foundational documents of international humanitarian law, perpetrators continue to commit crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide. Documenting these atrocity crimes has become a crucial step in efforts to secure justice for victims and survivors of these atrocities. To support the expanding field of human rights documentation, the international community must redouble its efforts to ensure that civil society actors engaged in documentation and evidence collection have access to the sustainable, tailored, and secure technology platforms they need to contribute to justice, truth, and accountability.
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Authors
Jessica Levy
Jessica Levy is a Research Fellow on Justice, Peace, and Security at the Public International Law & Policy Group. She specializes in post-conflict security reform and transitional justice. She graduated summa cum laude from Harvard University, earning a A.B. in Social Studies and Philosophy and a secondary in Central European Studies. At Harvard, she was a member of Phi Beta Kappa honor society.
Jessica will enter Harvard Law School in the fall of 2020 where she plans to study public international law and continue her scholarship on issues of justice in post-conflict settings.
Dr. Paul R. Williams
Paul R. Williams is the Rebecca I. Grazier Professor of Law and International Relations at American University. He holds a Ph.D from Cambridge University, J.D. from Stanford Law School, and B.A from UC Davis. Professor Williams is a co-founder of the Public International Law & Policy Group (“PILPG”), a non-profit group that provides pro bono legal assistance to states and governments involved in peace negotiations, post-conflict constitution drafting, and war crimes prosecutions. Over the course of his legal practice, Professor Williams has assisted with over two dozen peace negotiations and post conflict constitutions. Professor Williams has advised governments across Europe, Asia, as well as North and Sub-Saharan Africa on state recognition, self-determination and state succession issues, and on drafting and implementing post-conflict constitutions.