Melanie O’Brien, Review of Melinda Rankin, De Facto International Prosecutors in a Global Era

s book is an international relations book, not an international law one, but, of course, these two disciplines are so clearly connected that each field has something to offer the other.De Facto International Prosecutors in a Global Era: With My Own Eyes comes across as the words of an international relations specialist who is learning about international law process and, at the same time, teaching those of us in international law about what we do.It is quite an interesting journey to see the international law process through the eyes of a non-lawyer.And it is a journey that Rankin takes us on.She tells us a story about how survivors, witnesses and lawyers use domestic and international judicial systems to fight for accountability and justice for atrocity crimes.She looks in from the outside and, in so doing, notices the way in which these people work in a manner that perhaps those on the inside do not realize.It is a story of people coming together and collaborating in communities of practice, sometimes people who are not those expected to be leading a legal case against a major war criminal, but whose collaboration, if successful, ultimately results in significant legal outcomes, sometimes including prosecution and conviction of perpetrators of international crimes.The premise of With My Own Eyes is that individuals act as investigators and evidence gatherers, putting together cases against perpetrators of international crimes, and that, through their work, these individuals become 'de facto international prosecutors' even if they are working within domestic legal systems.Rankin argues that this is extending the reach of international criminal law into the hands of individuals, who may be lawyers but who may also be survivors or witnesses with no legal expertise at all.These individuals have determination and passion in their goal of seeking justice for those victims and survivors of atrocity crimes.This determination and passion drive them to connect with other individuals with the same goal, which creates a community of practice, a group of people whose own experience and expertise contributes to the success of international criminal justice outcomes.The stories of Rankin's book are told through three legally significant case studies: individuals working on the Spain/UK Pinochet case, the Hissène Habré case and the prosecution in Germany of two officials from the Syrian regime.The process of each of these cases is revealed through the lens of individuals who were key figures in that process.The first case study revolves around Juan Garcés, a Spanish lawyer and political scientist who was an advisor for then Chilean President Salvador Allende when Allende was ousted and murdered in a military coup led by Augusto Pinochet in 1973

De facto · Political science · Sociology · International Law and Human Rights · Law