Crimes Against Humanity Initiative

Washington University Law's Whitney R. Harris World Law Institute has launched a two-year project to study the international law regarding crimes against humanity and to draft a multilateral treaty condemning and prohibiting such crimes.

Leila Sadat, the Henry H. Oberschelp Professor of Law and director of the Harris Institute, initially convened the project’s Steering Committee in spring 2008, bringing together some of the top jurists, scholars, and practitioners in the area of international criminal law. In April 2009, a distinguished group of international law experts from around the world gathered at the law school to begin work on a Specialized Convention on Crimes Against Humanity. The second meeting of the Crimes Against Humanity Initiative took place at The Hague in June 2009. The project will culminate with a global conference in Spring 2010, at which the final draft of the multilateral treaty will be discussed and the problem of prevention, as well as punishment, will be taken up.

The two-year Crimes Against Humanity Initiative is being funded by a gift from WUSTL alumnus Steven Cash Nickerson.

Cambridge University Press will publish the papers commissioned by the project, a full draft of the treaty, and an accompanying commentary.

The Crimes Against Humanity Initiative is prompted by a number of developments around the world that suggest that the time is propitious for the development of this new international treaty, including the facts that:

• Broad international support is building for the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court;
• Members of the U.S. Congress have discussed criminal sanctions for crimes against humanity; and
• A considerable body of jurisprudence has been generated in the last decade by several international criminal tribunals.

[view] Washington University Record article on initiative launch
[view] Washington University Record article on experts meeting

Crimes Against Humanity Initiative Appoints Fellows

Washington University Law's Whitney R. Harris World Law Institute has launched a two-year project to study the international law regarding crimes against humanity and to draft a multilateral treaty condemning and prohibiting such crimes. This endeavor is made possible by a generous grant from Steven Cash Nickerson and the United States Institute of Peace.  In conjunction with this “Crimes Against Humanity Initiative,” five Fellows have been appointed who will be performing valuable research on the commission of atrocities from 1900-2009 and working on both the draft convention and the book during the documentation process. 

Left to right: Stephanie Anne Nickerson, BA ‘09; Don Taylor, Harris Institute Executive Director and Cash Nickerson Fellow; Margaret Wichmann, JD ‘10; Sarah Placzek, JD ‘10; Leila Sadat, Harris Institute Director and Henry H. Oberschelp Professor of Law; Kathryn Minton, JD ‘10; and McCall Carter, JD ‘10.

Questions? Contact

Linda McClain, Assistant Director
Harris World Law Institute
By Telephone 314-935-7988
By Fax 314-935-7961. 
E-mail: lmcclain@wulaw.wustl.edu