The establishment of the International Criminal Court (ICC) gave rise to the first permanent Office of the Prosecutor (OTP), with independent powers of investigation and prosecution. Elected in 2003 for a nine-year term as the ICC’s first Prosecutor, Luis Moreno Ocampo established policies and practices for when and how to investigate, when to pursue prosecution, and how to obtain the cooperation of sovereign nations. He laid a foundation for the OTP’s involvement with the United Nations Security Council, state parties, nongovernmental organizations, victims, the accused, witnesses, and the media.
This volume of essays presents the first sustained examination of this unique office and offers a rare look into international justice. The contributors, ranging from legal scholars to practitioners of international law, explore the spectrum of options available to the OTP, the particular choices Moreno Ocampo made, and issues ripe for consideration as his successor, Fatou B. Bensouda, assumes her duties. The beginning of Bensouda’s term thus offers the perfect opportunity to examine the first Prosecutor’s singular efforts to strengthen international justice, in all its facets.
Cover image: © Veer/jankranendonk
“This book . . . offers a unique perspective on one of the most innovative international endeavors to end impunity for and prevent massive atrocities.”
—Luis Moreno Ocampo (from the Prologue)
“The First Global Prosecutor admirably and distinctively fills a gap in the existing literature on the International Criminal Court. In bringing together essays by both leading scholars and prominent jurists in the field, Minow delivers a volume that is compendious in scope, rich with insight, and judicious in its conclusions. At once timely and important, The First Global Prosecutor offers a vital contribution to ongoing debates about the structure, function and practice of the world’s first truly global prosecutor.”
—Lawrence Douglas, Amherst College
“There are only few works that deal in-depth with the legacy of the first years of the ICC. This volume combines ‘insider’ and ‘external’ perspectives on the first years of the Office of the Prosecutor. It captures major themes that have become relevant during Moreno Ocampo’s tenure and helps us understand the ‘light’ and ‘shadow’ of international criminal justice in situations of conflict.”
—Carsten Stahn, Leiden University
Martha Minow is the Morgan and Helen Chu Dean and Professor of Law at Harvard Law School.
C. Cora True-Frost is Assistant Professor of Law at the Syracuse University College of Law.
Alex Whiting is Professor of Practice at Harvard Law School.
