Universal Jurisdiction versus Political Immunity: can states still get away with it?

LSE Department of Government and LSE Centre for the Study of Human Rights public discussion

Date: Monday 28 November 2016
Time: 6.15-8pm
Venue: TW1.G.01, Tower 1
Speakers:  Dr John Chalcraft, Rodney Dixon, Ahmet Dogan, Ali Emrah Bozbayindir, Alexandra Lort-Phillips  
Chair:  Professor Gerry Simpson

Principles of universal jurisdiction and international justice are increasingly advocated, especially by non-state actors seeking accountability and justice, while states continue to push back in the name of sovereignty and political immunity. Israel and Turkey have recently made an inter-state agreement to put an end to the adjudication of criminal and civil actions by victims of the killings and other serious violations aboard the Gaza Freedom Flotilla and Mavi Marmara aid ship in 2010. What are the implications of this agreement? On 2 December the High Criminal Court in Istanbul convenes to decide whether the criminal case in Turkey should continue. We ask whether it is true that, even in our globalised world, states can still get away with not holding perpetrators of serious international crimes to account.

John Chalcraft is Associate Professor in the History and Politics of Empire/Imperialism in the Department of Government at LSE.

Rodney Dixon, Temple Garden Chambers, instructed by Stoke and White LLP in representing UK and other victims on the Flotilla and Mavi Marmara.

Ahmet Dogan is the father of Furkan Dogan who was an 18 year old activist killed on the MV Mavi Marmara.

Ali Emrah Bozbayindir is a Turkish legal expert.

Alexandra Lort-Phillips is a British activist that was on board Gaza flotilla MV Mavi Marmara.

Gerry Simpson is Chair in Public International Law at LSE. 

The Department of Government (@LSEGovernment) at LSE is one of the largest political science departments in the UK. Our activities cover a comprehensive range of approaches to the study of politics.

The Centre for the Study of Human Rights (@LSEHumanRights) at LSE is a trans-disciplinary centre of excellence for international academic research, teaching and critical scholarship on human rights

Twitter Hashtag for this event: #LSEMaviMarmara

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