International Crime

Through involvement in several ‘first of their kind’ international criminal law trials 9BR Chambers defence counsel brings unique knowledge, expertise and experience notably in challenging prevailing narratives and constructing expert cross-disciplinary teams.

9BR Chambers defence counsel have appeared in many of the leading trials that established international criminal law. These are: the case of Tadic (1996-1997) the first UN international criminal trial at the ICTY; the first trial of a former Head of State, ex-President of Serbia Slobodan Milosevic (2001-2006, ICTY); the first media trial for hate speech and inciting genocide, Ferdinand Nahimana (1999-2001, ICTR); and, the first trial of an incumbent Head of State, President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya (2010-2015, ICC).

Our barristers have frequently appeared as defence counsel in international courts, tribunals and institutions these include: International Criminal Court (ICC), International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL), European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX), Kosovo Specialist Chambers (KSC), International Crimes Tribunal in Bangladesh (ICT) and International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT).

We build exceptional teams for each case that may include our counsel with lawyers from the defendant’s national jurisdiction, specialist investigators, expert witnesses and advisors. We are skilled at challenging the prevailing narrative of events, often a feature of these international situations and we are frequently engaged by clients before charges have been brought to prepare their defence or help resolve the crisis they face.