Opening Statement of the Prosecution in International Criminal Trials: A Solemn Tale of Horror

This book explores the discursive importance of the prosecutions opening statement before an international criminal tribunal, analyzing the narrative articulated in these statements and discussing the ways in which they juridify perpetrators, victims, places, and histories. It provides an original perspective on the operation of international criminal law and will be of interest to scholars in this area and related fields.

Format: Hardback
Length: 156 pages
Publication date: 20 April 2021
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This book delves into the significant discursive role of the opening statement before an international criminal tribunal. While these statements may seem inconsequential to the official legal proceedings, they are simultaneously employed to shape and frame pivotal historical events. Surprisingly, despite their widespread citation in international media and academic texts, legal scholars have largely overlooked these statements as legitimate subjects of study in their own right. This book seeks to rectify this oversight by examining the narratives articulated in the opening statements of various prosecutors at different tribunals across different eras.

Taking an interdisciplinary approach, the book goes beyond the mere function of the opening narrative within the confines of the legal process. It explores the deeper meanings and implications of the opening narrative, considering how it situates the trial in both temporal and spatial contexts and how it portrays the key characters involved. The book reveals how perpetrators and victims, as well as specific places and histories, are juridified through this narrative, which, while purporting to legitimate the trial, the tribunal, and international criminal law itself, is fraught with tensions and contradictions.

By offering an original perspective on the workings of international criminal law, this book will be of immense interest to professionals working in this field, as well as those with relevant interests in International/Transnational Law, Critical Legal Studies, Law and Literature, Socio-Legal Studies, Law and Geography, and International Relations.

Weight: 400g
Dimension: 160 x 241 x 18 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367279349