Legitimate by Nature?: Examining the Legitimisation Activities Implemented by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda

International crimes cause widespread victimisation and destruction, leading to social disruption that may take generations to repair. Over the years, the international community has established international courts to end the culture of impunity in relation to such crimes and to enforce a culture of accountability. A critical success factor for these courts is to ensure that they are perceived as legitimate in post-conflict societies.

Established after the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi ethnic group, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) was active for 20 years and closed its doors in December 2015. This book identifies the legitimacy challenges faced by the ICTR, based in Arusha, Tanzania, and its subsequent legitimisation activities implemented to gain, maintain and repair legitimacy, while also examining which stakeholders the ICTR targeted in its efforts to establish and/or maintain its legitimacy.

This book is intended for policy-makers and practitioners working in the fields of international criminal law, human rights and transitional justice. More specifically, it addresses professionals working for international criminal courts or tribunals, including those working at the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals in Arusha and The Hague. This book also aims to reach individuals involved in the design and implementation of external relations activities and outreach programmes.

Claire M. H. Boost was a PhD candidate at Maastricht University’s Faculty of Law between 2017 and 2021. Alongside her research activities, she taught International Criminal Law, Supranational Criminology and Concepts of Criminal Procedure; supervised bachelor’s and master’s theses; and served on the board of the Maastricht Centre for Human Rights. Claire currently works as Project Advisor for Invest International in The Hague. Prior to her position at Maastricht University, Claire managed and developed programmes focused on human rights and social justice in Africa, Europe and North America, working from regional hubs in London, Nairobi, New York and Amsterdam.