A new book by International Bar Association Executive Director, Dr Mark Ellis, and Council on Foreign Relations Senior Fellow, Ambassador David J Scheffer, offers an authoritative account of 32 years of modern international justice, tracing the landmark cases and legal precedents that have shaped accountability for atrocity crimes and the protection of human rights.

The IBA Special Project Fund allocated funding to the project so that the authors could undertake the research and writing required of it. The authors write: 'Without this funding, completing this book would not have been achieved.' They dedicate the book 'to those of the International Bar Association who have dedicated their professional lives to the pursuit of international justice before the modern atrocity crimes tribunals and the international and regional courts that in our time have enforced fundamental human rights and international criminal law.'

Importantly, the authors devote a dedicated chapter to the critical role of defence counsel across the modern atrocity crimes tribunals. The chapter highlights the essential contribution of the defence to fair trial rights, due process and the integrity and legitimacy of international criminal proceedings.

By placing the human stories behind landmark judgments alongside the legal principles those decisions established, the book seeks to make complex jurisprudence accessible to both general readers as well as legal specialists. It offers practitioners, academics, judges, policymakers and students a resource for understanding not only how international justice has evolved, but also the legal foundations on which future developments will depend.

Dr Ellis said: ‘The story of modern international justice is ultimately a story of law being tested, interpreted and developed in response to some of humanity’s gravest crimes. The decisions examined in this book have helped establish enduring legal principles while exposing the practical and institutional challenges of securing accountability. By connecting the jurisprudence with the human experiences behind the cases, we hope to deepen understanding of what international justice has achieved and what must be sustained for the future.’

Ambassador Scheffer said: ‘Understanding the development of international justice is essential to understanding the responsibilities of the legal profession today. Over the past three decades, international courts and tribunals have helped define the law governing atrocity crimes, strengthen the principle of individual accountability and advance the protection of fundamental rights. This book brings those developments together, offering the legal community an important resource for examining the progress achieved, the principles established and the challenges that remain.’

Richard Goldstone, former Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, wrote the book's foreward in which he states: 'The Story of Modern International Justice, 1993-2025 is timely and essential for a foundational understanding of what transpired during the post-Cold War era in an impressive number of judicial bodies [...] Never before in the history of humankind have so many leading perpetrators of atrocity crimes and governments responsible for gross violations of human rights have been held to account and international justice upheld and fortified [...] The foundation for international justice has been built, and there must never be any turning back.'

The book also considers the significance of the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine within the continuing development of international justice. Its inclusion reflects the evolving institutional landscape and the ongoing effort to address accountability for serious violations of international law.

As debates continue over the enforcement of international law, the jurisdiction and effectiveness of international courts and the protection of civilians in armed conflict, a clear understanding of the jurisprudence accumulated since 1993 is particularly valuable. The book provides a foundation for informed discussion of these issues, helping the legal community assess the achievements of existing institutions and the challenges confronting the next generation of international justice.

The Story of Modern International Justice, 1993-2025, is published by Springer and is available in eBook and hardcover formats. Read more about the book here.

**ENDS**

Contact: IBApressoffice@int-bar.org

Notes:

1. Click here to purchase a copy of The Story of Modern International Justice, 1993-2025.

2. Mark Ellis is Executive Director of the International Bar Association (IBA) and a Fellow of King’s College. Before joining the IBA, he spent ten years as the first Executive Director of the Central European and Eurasian Law Initiative (CEELI), a project of the American Bar Association that provided legal assistance to 28 countries and to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). He served as Legal Advisor to the Kosovo Commission, chaired by Justice Richard J Goldstone, advised the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe on the creation of Serbia’s War Crimes Tribunal and has worked alongside the ICTY, the Iraqi High Tribunal, the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia and, presently, the International Criminal Court.
   IBA profile: Mark Ellis, Executive Director

   David J Scheffer is Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, Professor of Practice at Arizona State University and Director Emeritus of the Center for International Human Rights at Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law. During the second term of the Clinton Administration (1997-2001), he was the first-ever US Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes issues, negotiated the creation of five war crimes tribunals, and led the US delegation to the UN talks establishing the International Criminal Court. He was the UN Secretary-General’s Special Expert on UN Assistance to the Khmer Rouge Trials (2012–2018) and the Vice-President of the American Society of International Law between 2020 and 2022.
   Council on Foreign Relations profile: David J Scheffer
   

3. Dr Ellis and Ambassador Scheffer previously co-authored The UN Charter: Five Pillars for Humankind (Springer, 2025).

5. The International Bar Association (IBA), the global voice of the legal profession, is the foremost organisation for international legal practitioners, bar associations and law societies. Established in 1947, shortly after the creation of the United Nations, with the aim of protecting and promoting the rule of law globally, it was born out of the conviction that an organisation made up of the world’s bar associations could contribute to global stability and peace through the administration of justice.

   The IBA acts as a connector, enabler and influencer, for fair practice and accountability worldwide. The IBA has collaborated on a broad range of ground-breaking, international projects with the United Nations, the European Parliament, the Council of Europe, The Commonwealth, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the World Trade Organization, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, among others.

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