What does it take to hold world leaders accountable for their actions? What are the legal and political implications of pursuing powerful figures for international crimes?

The decision of the International Criminal Court Prosecutor to pursue high-profile leaders like Putin and Netanyahu is bold. These arrest warrants are not just about the charges themselves – they spark crucial conversations about accountability, justice, and the global enforcement of the rule of law.

Join international law expert, Professor Alex Whiting, to explore the legal foundations behind these arrest warrants, the challenges of bringing sitting world leaders to justice, and the wider impact on global diplomacy and international law. This talk will provide you with insights into the complexities of international justice and the power struggles at play on the global stage.

The experts

Public talk by Professor Alex Whiting
Alex is a Professor at Harvard Law School focusing on issues and procedures related to domestic and international criminal prosecutions. He was the Acting Specialist Prosecutor for the Kosovo Tribunal in The Hague until late 2023, the Investigation Coordinator and then Prosecution Coordinator in the Office of the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, overseeing all the ongoing investigations and prosecutions in the Office from 2010-2013. From 2002-2007, he was a Trial Attorney and then a Senior Trial Attorney with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), where he was lead counsel in several war crimes and crimes against humanity prosecutions. Before his appointment to the ICTY, he was a US federal prosecutor for ten years, first with the Criminal Section of the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC, and then with the US Attorney’s Office in Boston.

Question and answer session with Regina Weiss
Regina is a University of Tasmania graduate who became a Federal Prosecutor in 2006, before moving to The Hague to work for the Office of the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC). Regina spent nine years prosecuting war crimes and crimes against humanity on cases predominantly from east Africa including Kenya and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Since returning to Australia, Regina headed up legal teams of federal government agencies in Canberra including Sport Integrity Australia before her call to the Tasmanian Bar in 2021. Regina remains on the ICC list of counsel for victims and defense, is the ICC Bar Association focal point on sexual and gender-based violence and chairs the ICCBA Ecocide Working Group. Locally, Regina acts for plaintiffs in institutional abuse matters and recently led an independent review into former police officer Paul Reynolds. Regina is also Chair of the Australian Red Cross – Tasmania International Humanitarian Law Committee.

Hosted by Professor Tim McCormack
Tim is a Professor of International Law at the University of Tasmania and former Special Adviser on War Crimes to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in The Hague (2010-2024).

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Contact the host of Arrest Warrants for Vladimir Putin and Benjamin Netanyahu

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