Good morning, this is Michelle, with our monthly round-up of news from the world of international justice in partnership with Civitas Maxima.

May kept everyone at the edge of their seat as Switzerland’s first war crimes trial risked being undone at an appeals hearing. Jurists can relax – the guilty verdict against a former Liberian rebel leader for war crimes has been upheld, with an indictment for crimes against humanity thrown in as well, in a Swiss first.

Justice for victims also made progress in courtrooms across the world including in France, the United States, DR Congo and Rwanda, while in Guinea, financial woes have put it in jeopardy.

Michelle Langrand

02.06.2023

War crimes round-up

Photo article

Alieu Kosiah, a former Liberian rebel commander, lost his appeal before a Swiss court over his conviction for war crimes. (Civitas Maxima/JP Kalonji)

Former Liberian rebel leader Alieu Kosiah lost his appeal on Thursday before Switzerland’s highest criminal court against a guilty verdict over war crimes and crimes against humanity. Countries gathered in Ljubljana, Slovenia, adopted an international treaty to enhance cooperation among states for investigating and prosecuting the worst crimes, while a criminal court in the US found an arms smuggler guilty of torture, making it only the second time an American national is prosecuted under the country’s torture legislation.

Geneva Solutions (EN)

Here’s what else is happening

🕵️WHO appoints sex abuse investigator as new internal auditor. Lisa McClennon, who had received heat for slow pace of inquiries into abuse, will assume role on 1 July.
Health Policy Watch (EN)
🚢Ukraine says Russia again blocking Black Sea grain export deal. A Ukrainian ministry states that only one ship was inspected over the last two days of May as 50 others carrying 2.5 million tonnes of food wait to be inspected.
Reuters (EN)
🩺Doctor who criticised army for diverting aid detained in Sudan. A physician was arrested by intelligence officers after saying aid from the World Health Organization was taken by the military, and that doctors were denied the ability to deliver it to people in need.
The Guardian (EN)
🇧🇫Burkina Faso is the world’s ‘most neglected crisis’ as focus remains on Ukraine. The Norwegian Refugee Council chief Jan Egeland said that the “deeply neglected” conflict in the country “shows a failure of the international system to react to newly emerging crises.”
The Guardian (EN)

International Geneva moves

Photo article

Argentina's Celeste Saulo was elected as the first female secretary general of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) on 1 June 2023. (Keystone/Martial Trezzini)

Argentina’s Celeste Saulo elected first woman to lead WMO. Countries elected Celeste Saulo on Thursday as the new secretary general of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The head of Argentina’s meteorological services will be the first woman to lead the UN agency and will take over on 1 January 2024 from Finnish Petteri Taalas, who is coming to the end of his second term as the organisation’s chief.

Geneva Solutions (EN)

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