The Hague

Black, gray, blue and yellow illustration of Russian war

Holding Russia accountable for war crimes

In wartime, it is rare that people are held accountable for the crimes they commit. Sometimes justice takes decades, or it never comes. But cell phones and city surveillance videos mean that atrocities can be caught on cameras. Dina Temple-Raston, the host of the podcast, "Click Here," reports that Ukrainian officials are working with the International Criminal Court to collect the data and file cases so those who commit war crimes don't go free.

Holding Russia accountable for war crimes
Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda speaks at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands, in this this Aug. 28, 2018, file photo.

Israel has a stake in Biden administration's decision to lift ICC sanctions

Israel has a stake in Biden administration's decision to lift ICC sanctions
Patrice-Edouard Ngaïssona is seen only from the head up, blocked mostly by ICC judges standing in the nearground.

Alleged CAR militia leaders reject ICC charges

Alleged CAR militia leaders reject ICC charges
Environmental activists hold a banner that reads: "Because watching is not an option [anymore]," as they protest outside of a court during a hearing in a case environmentalist and human rights groups have brought against Royal Dutch Shell to force the ene

Climate activists are taking their case to court — at The Hague and beyond

Climate activists are taking their case to court — at The Hague and beyond
A group of four soldiers are shown walking across a field wearing full battlefield fatigues and carrying weapons.

Australian special forces allegedly killed 39 unarmed Afghans — report

Australian special forces allegedly killed 39 unarmed Afghans — report
An African man wearing a suit appears on a video screen with a blue background

Tensions continue in Darfur as Sudanese war criminal faces his day in court

Ali Kushayb, a former militia leader, appeared at the International Criminal Court after more than a decade evading charges of war crimes against humanity. Some Darfuris say Kushayb’s arrest is a sign that justice — long-elusive — could be on the horizon.

Tensions continue in Darfur as Sudanese war criminal faces his day in court
US President Donald Trump is shown standing at a podium with his arms outstretched and rows of US soldiers wearing fatigues standing behind him.

Trump authorizes sanctions over ICC Afghanistan war crimes case

US President Donald Trump on Thursday issued an executive order authorizing US sanctions against International Criminal Court employees involved in an investigation into whether American forces committed war crimes in Afghanistan.

Trump authorizes sanctions over ICC Afghanistan war crimes case
Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani meets with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Kabul, Afghanistan, March 23, 2020.

International Criminal Court says Pompeo is threatening its staff

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said two members of the ICC prosecutor’s staff were driving a political effort to use the ICC to investigate Americans. In response, the ICC released a statement on March 19 that pointedly called those comments by Pompeo “threats.” 

International Criminal Court says Pompeo is threatening its staff
A large helicopter is shown in the distance making its landing approach with the shadow of soldiers in the nearground.

ICC says US can be investigated for war crimes; Putin and Erdoğan hold talks over Syria; Governments, businesses take measures to halt spread of COVID-19

The International Criminal Court in The Hague has authorized investigations into war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Afghanistan, including alleged crimes by US forces. And, in Mexico, violence against women and girls has sparked outrage and calls for strikes to protest. And governments and businesses are taking increased measures to stem the spread of COVID-19. But the internet is providing some light-hearted reminders on how to keep germs at bay.

ICC says US can be investigated for war crimes; Putin and Erdoğan hold talks over Syria; Governments, businesses take measures to halt spread of COVID-19
An illustration shows several bodies layed out in in various positions with one red body.

In the western Balkans, DNA tests help families discover fate of dead relatives

DNA testing is making it possible for thousands of families to recover and identify the skeletal remains of loved ones decades after they were murdered or disappeared. But some families are traumatized and distressed by these discoveries. 

In the western Balkans, DNA tests help families discover fate of dead relatives
Gambia's Justice Minister Abubacarr Tambadou speaks on the first day of hearings in a case against Myanmar alleging genocide against the minority Muslim Rohingya population at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands.

Gambian minister brought Myanmar to The Hague ‘in the name of humanity’

The small West African country has its own long history of human rights abuses. The Gambia's Justice Minister says those experiences — along with memories of the world's silence on the Rwandan genocide — inspired The Gambia to bring a case against Myanmar to the International Court of Justice.

Gambian minister brought Myanmar to The Hague ‘in the name of humanity’
woman wearing military fatigues holds a gun

Thousands of ISIS fighters sit in prison. Kurdish leaders call for a special tribunal.

ISIS fighters committed heinous crimes. Thousands are now locked up in camps and prisons across northern Syria. But the evidence against them is flimsy and the cost of justice, high. What should happen to them?

Thousands of ISIS fighters sit in prison. Kurdish leaders call for a special tribunal.
Three siblings smile and pose while sitting in the pew of a church

Dutch church ends 96-day service as Armenian family spared deportation

The Tamrazyans, a family of five whose asylum claim had previously been denied, were spared deportation after the four government coalition parties on Tuesday agreed to review several hundred asylum cases involving children who’d spent most of their lives in the Netherlands or were born there.

Dutch church ends 96-day service as Armenian family spared deportation
A preacher stands at the front of a mostly full church

A tale of two sanctuary churches: Congregants in Ohio and the Netherlands find ‘instant connection’

When a Columbus, Ohio, church heard The World’s story on the Netherlands congregation's efforts to shelter an Armenian family facing deportation, it sounded familiar. After all, the Columbus church was sheltering an undocumented Mexican immigrant, too. So, the pastor from Ohio flew to The Hague to help.

A tale of two sanctuary churches: Congregants in Ohio and the Netherlands find ‘instant connection’
Syrian police hold weapons while they ride in the bed of a pickup truck in Doma.

US suggests Russia, Syria may have tampered with Duma evidence, Moscow denies it

The United States said Russians or Syrians may have tampered with evidence on the ground the site of a suspected poison gas attack.

US suggests Russia, Syria may have tampered with Duma evidence, Moscow denies it