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International Criminal Court

The International Criminal Court Turns 20 in Turbulent Times. Should ‘Ecocide’ Be Added to its List of Crimes?

A definition put forth describes ecocide as “wanton acts” that cause “severe” and “widespread or long-term damage” to the environment. Pope Francis and other world leaders support adoption, but such a move by member nations could take years.

By Katie Surma

Exterior View of new International Criminal Court building in The Hague on July 30, 2016 in The Hague in the Netherlands. Credit: Michel Porro/Getty Images
People run for cover in front of a burning house during shelling in the city of Irpin, outside Kyiv, on March 4, 2022. Credit: Aris Messinis/AFP via Getty Images

Activists Deplore the Human Toll and Environmental Devastation from Russia’s Unprovoked War of Aggression in Ukraine

By Katie Surma

Human rights lawyer Philippe Sands speaks at AOL Studios In New York on Nov. 6, 2015 in New York City. Credit: John Lamparski/WireImage

The Essential Advocate, Philippe Sands Makes the Case for a New International Crime Called Ecocide

By Katie Surma

Arara indigenous children walk at the Arado tribal camp, in Arara indigenous land in Para state, Brazil on March 13, 2019. Credit: Mauro Pimentel/AFP via Getty Images

Are Bolsonaro’s Attacks on the Amazon and Indigenous Tribes International Crimes? A Third Court Plea Says They Are

By Katie Surma

Activists hold up a banner of Jair Bolsonaro as they gather in front of the Brazilian Embassy during a demonstration organized by Extinction Rebellion activists on Aug. 26, 2019 in Brussels, Belgium. Credit: Thierry Monasse/Getty Images

Indigenous Leaders and Human Rights Groups in Brazil Want Bolsonaro Prosecuted for Crimes Against Humanity

By Katie Surma

As the Climate Crisis Grows, a Movement Gathers to Make ‘Ecocide’ an International Crime Against the Environment

By Nicholas Kusnetz, Katie Surma, Yuliya Talmazan

A refugee from Democratic Republic of Congo, collects water for their vegetable crops at a water pan in Kalobeyei settlement for refugees in Turkana County, Kenya on October 2, 2019. Credit: Luis Tato/AFP via Getty Images

Ecocide: Should Destruction of the Planet Be a Crime?

By David Sassoon

Farm workers cut a tree in the Cardamom Mountain rainforest in Cambodia in 2002. Credit: Peter Charlesworth/LightRocket via Getty Images

Lands Grabs and Other Destructive Environmental Practices in Cambodia Test the International Criminal Court

By Katie Surma

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