Defeating Impunity: Attempts at International Justice in Europe Since 1914

Over the course of the long and violent twentieth century, only a minority of international crime perpetrators ever stood trial, and a central challenge of this era was the effort to ensure that not all these crimes remained unpunished. This required not only establishing a legal record but also courage, determination, and inventiveness in realizing justice. Defeating Impunity moves from the little-known trials of the 1920s to the Yugoslavia tribunal in the 2000s, from Belgium in 1914 to Ukraine in 1943, and to Stuttgart and Düsseldorf in 1975. It illustrates the extent to which the language of law drew an international horizon of justice.

Ornella Rovetta is a post-doctoral researcher and lecturer in contemporary history at the Université libre de Bruxelles and Université Saint Louis. Her research interests include the history of international criminal justice and of Rwanda. She is the author of Un génocide au tribunal. Le Rwanda et la justice internationale and co-authored a radio documentary on the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.

Pieter Lagrou has taught contemporary history at the Université libre de Bruxelles since 2003. He has published on the legacy of the Second World War in Europe, on war crime trials and contemporary European historiography. He is currently working on the histories of popular sovereignty since 1789.