Professor Payam Akhavanfaculty of Law, Mcgill University

Professor Payam AkhavanFaculty of Law, McGill University

Publications

Forthcoming

“Canada and International Human Rights Law: Is the Romance Over?” (2016) 22:1 Canadian Foreign Policy Journal (forthcoming).

“The Perils and Promises of Pluralism” (2015) Inter Gentes, McGill Journal of International Law and Legal Pluralism (forthcoming).

“Confronting Genocide and the Limits of the Law” inEugeniusz Smolar, ed,Memory and Responsibility: The Legacy of Jan Karski(Warsaw: Jan Karski Educational Foundation, 2015) (forthcoming).

"Contributions of ICTR Jurisprudence to the Definition of Genocide”in Anne-Marie de Brouwer & Alette Smeulers, eds, Elgar Companion to the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) (Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2015) (forthcoming).

“Judicial Guarantees” in Andrew Clapham, Paola Gaeta, & Marco Sassoli, eds, Geneva Conventions Commentary (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2015) (forthcoming).

Journal articles

“Balkanizing Jurisdiction: Reflections on Article IX of the Genocide Convention in Croatia v. Serbia” 28Leiden Journal of International Law893-897 (2015).

“The Rise and Fall, and Rise of International Criminal Justice.” (2013) 11:3Journal of International Criminal Justice527-536.

“Making Human Rights Sexy: Authenticity in Glamorous Times.” (29 November 2012)Harvard Human Rights Journal, online:

“Preventing Genocide: Measuring Success by What Does Not Happen” (2011) 22:1-2Criminal Law Forum1-33.

“Self-referrals before the International Criminal Court: Are States the Villains or the Victims of Atrocities?”(2010) 21:1 Criminal Law Forum 103-120.

“Whither National Courts? The Rome Statute’s Missing Half: Towards An Express and Enforceable Obligation For the National Repression of International Crimes” (2010) 8 Journal of International Criminal Justice1245-1266.

“Are International Criminal Tribunals a Disincentive to Peace? Reconciling Judicial Romanticism with Political Realism” (2009) 31:3Human Rights Quarterly624-654.

“Should Duress Apply to All Crimes? A Comparative Appraisal of Moral Involuntariness and the Twenty Crimes Exception under Section 17 of the Criminal Code” (2009) 13:3Canadian Review of Criminal Law271-296.

With R Provost et al, “Amicus Curiae Brief on Joint Criminal Enterprise in the Matter of the Co-Prosecutors’ Appeal of the Closing Order Against Kaing Guek Eav ‘Duch’ Dated 8 August 2008” (2009)20:2-3 Criminal Law Forum331-351.

“Reconciling Crimes Against Humanity with the Laws of War: Human Rights, Armed Conflict, and the Limits of Progressive Jurisprudence”(2008) 6:1 Journal of International Criminal Justice 21-37.

“Proliferation of Terminology and the Illusion of Progress” (2007)2:1 Genocide Studies and Prevention73-80.

“Report on the Work of the Office of the Special Advisor of the United Nations Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide” (2006) 28:4Human Rights Quarterly1043-1070.

“Justice, Power, and the Realities of Interdependence: Lessons from the Milošević and Hussein Trials” (2005) 38:3Cornell International Law Journal973-982.

“The Crime of Genocide in ICTR Jurisprudence” (2005)3:4 Journal of International Criminal Justice 989-1006.

“The Lord’s Resistance Army Case: Uganda’s Submission of the First State Referral to the International Criminal Court” (2005) 99:2American Journal of International Law403-421.

“Justice as Aberration: Reflections on the Historical Significance of the International Criminal Court”(2003) 34:2 World Order 51-53.

“The International Criminal Court in Context: Mediating the Global and Local in the Age of Accountability” (2003) 97:3American Journal of International Law712-721.

“Beyond Impunity: Can International Criminal Justice Prevent Future Atrocities?” (2001) 95:1American Journal of International Law7-31.

“Justice in the Hague, Peace in the former Yugoslavia? A Commentary on the UN War Crimes Tribunal” (1998) 20:4Human Rights Quarterly737-816.

"The Contribution of the Ad Hoc Tribunals to International Humanitarian Law: The Dilemmas of Jurisprudence" (1998)13:6 American University International Law Review1518-1539.

"Justice and Reconciliation in the Great Lakes Region of Africa: The Contribution of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda" (1997) 7:2 Duke Journal of Comparative and International Law325-348.

“The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda: The Politics and Pragmatics of Punishment” (1996) 90:3American Journal of International Law501-510.

“Enforcement of the Genocide Convention: A Challenge to Civilization” (1995) 8Harvard Human Rights Journal229-258.

“Lessons from Iraqi Kurdistan: Self-Determination and Humanitarian Intervention Against Genocide” (1993) 11:1Netherlands Quarterly of Human Rights41-62.

“Punishing War Crimes in the Former Yugoslavia: A Critical Juncture for the New World Order” (1993)15:2 Human Rights Quarterly 262-289.

“Enforcement of the Genocide Convention Through the Advisory Opinion Jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice” (1991)12 Human Rights Law Journal285-299.

“Peoples or Populations? Critical Question for the World’s Indigenous People” (1991)3 Nordic Journal of Human Rights 264. (In Scandinavian)

“Self-determination in the New Europe” (1991)4 Nordic Journal of Human Rights379. (In Scandinavian)

With Morten Bergsmo, "The Application of the Doctrine of State Responsibility to Refugee Creating States" (1989)58:3-4 Nordic Journal of International Law 243-256.

Books

Reducing Genocide to Law: Definition, Meaning, and the Ultimate Crime(Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012).

With R Provost, eds, Confronting Genocide: Jus Gentium Comparative Perspectives on Law and Justice (New York: Springer Publications, 2011).

Yugoslavia, The Former and Future: Reflections by Scholars from the Region(Washington: Brookings Institute, 1995).

Chapters in books

"Ayatollah Montazeri’s Brave Struggle For Justice" in Nader Hashemi & Danny Postel, eds, The People Reloaded: The Green Movement and the Struggle for Iran's Future (New York: Melville House, 2011) 148.

"Canadian Values and International Human Rights Law: The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination – A Case Study" in Le Tribunal des Droits de la Personne et le Barreau du Québec, Race, femme, enfant, handicap: les conventiones internationales et le droit interne à la lumiere des enjeux pratiques du droit à l’égalité (Cowansville, Quebec: Éditions Yvon Blais, 2011).

"International Criminal Justice in the Era of Failed States: The ICC and the Self-Referrals Debate" in Carstan Stahn, ed, The International Criminal Court and Complementarity: From Theory to Practice (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011) 283.

“The Baha’i Community, Human Rights, and the Construction of a New Iranian Identity” in Ramin Jahanbegloo, ed, Democracy and Civil Society in Iran (Toronto: Lexington Press, 2011) 219.

“The Universal Repression of Crimes Against Humanity before National Jurisdictions: The Need for a Treaty-Based Obligation to Prosecute” in Leila Sadat, ed, Forging a Convention for Crimes Against Humanity (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011) 28.

“International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia” in DL Shelton, ed, Encyclopedia of Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity, Vol 2 (Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2005) 555.

“The Origin and Evolution of Crimes Against Humanity: An Uneasy Encounter Between Positive Law and Moral Outrage” in M Bergsmo, ed, Human Rights and Criminal Justice for the Downtrodden: Essays in Honour of Asbjørn Eide (Boston: Brill Academic Publishers, 2003) 3.

“The New Frontiers of Judicial Enforcement: The International Criminal Tribunals for the Former Yugoslavia and Rwanda” in G Alfredsson et al, eds, International Human Rights Monitoring Mechanisms: Essays in Honour of Jakob Th. Möller (Leiden: Martinus Nijhoff, 2001) 441.

“Self-Determination and the Disintegration of Yugoslavia: What Lessons for the International Community?” in D Clark & R Williamson, eds, Self-Determination: International Perspectives (London: MacMillan Press, 1996) 227.

“The 1993 World Conference on Human Rights: Rhetoric and Reality” in ML Bradbury & S Bushrui, eds, Divisive Barbarity or Global Civilization? The Ethical Dimensions of Science, Art, Religion and Politics (Bethesda: University Press of Maryland, 1996) 189.

“The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda” in F Lattanzi & E Sciso, eds, Dai Tribunali Penali Internazionali Ade Hoc a Una Corte Permanente (Napoli: Editoriale Scientifica, 1996) 191.

“Implications of Twelver Shi’ih Mihdism on Religious Tolerance: The Case of the Bahá’í Religious Minority in the Islamic Republic of Iran” in K Vogt & T Lindholm, eds, Islamic Law Reform and Human Rights (Copenhagen: Nordic Human Rights Publications, 1993) 197.

Essays

“The Power of the Feminine Self: Liberating Manhood from Violence Against Women”,Huffington Post(18 January 2015) online:

“Beyond Human Rights: Building a World on Empathy”, 2014 Vancouver Human Rights Lecture(The Laurier Institute and CBC Radio Ideas) (24 July 2014) published online:

“Suffering and the Future of Iran”,Huffington Post(15 January 2014) online:

“Iran’s Enduring Legacy of Violence and Denial”, Huffington Post (1 October 2013) online:

“How Iran Can Go from ‘Pariah State’ to ‘Leader Among Nations’”, Huffington Post (1 March 2013) online:

“Don’t Mistake Iran’s Brutality for Strength”, Huffington Post (22 August 2012) online: <

“Beyond Freedom: Building Iran’s Future Today”, Rooz On-Line (31 November 2011).

“Heirs to a Rich Civilization: Speech by Payam Akhavan at the Iranian Studies Biannual Conference”Gozaar: Forum on Human Rights and Democracy in Iran(3 August 2008).

“The World Court’s Decision on Kosovo’s Reinforces Georgia’s Case”, Huffington Post (5 August 2010) online: <

“The Baha’i Community, Human Rights, and the Construction of a New Iranian Identity”Gozaar: A Forum on Human Rights and Democracy in Iran(24 February 2010) online:

Book reviews

Book review of Human Rights, the UN and the Baha'is in Iran by Nazila Ghanea,(2004) 12 Baha'i Studies Review 144.

Book review ofAccountability for Human Rights Atrocities in International Law: Beyond the Nuremberg Legacy by Steven R. Ratner and Jason S. Abrams, (1999) 93American Journal of International Law 253.

Select conference proceedings

“Transitional Justice Branches Out: Transitional Justice and Peacebuilding” in American Society of International Law, ed, International Law in a Multipolar World, Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Society of International Law, 3 April2013

“Prevention of Genocide” (keynote address delivered at Global Symposium + 5: Information for Humanitarian Action, 26 October 2007) (2008) Final Report, United Nations 44-48.

“Contributions of the International Criminal Tribunals for the Former Yugoslavia and Rwanda to Development of Definitions of Crimes against Humanity and Genocide” in American Society of International Law, ed, International Law in Ferment: A New Vision for Theory and Practice, Proceedings of the 94th Annual Meeting of the American Society of International Law, 5-8 April2000.

“The Genocide Convention after Fifty Years: Contemporary Strategies for Combating a Crime against Humanity”in American Society of International Law, ed, The Challenge of Non-State Actors, Proceedings of the 92nd Annual Meeting of the American Society of International Law, 1-4 April 1998.

Expert testimony

Testimony on Human Rights Situation in Iran, given before the Sub-Committee on International Human Rights of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development, House of Commons, Ottawa, 30 April 2015, online: <

Testimony on Canada’s Policy regarding ISIS, given before the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development, House of Commons, Ottawa, 27 November 2014, online: <

“The Islamic Republic of Gangster Capitalism” (testimony given before the Foreign Affairs Sub-Committee on International Human Rights, 28 April 2013) online: <

Testimony on Human Rights Situation in Iran, given before given before the Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade, House of Commons, Ottawa, 24 April 2012, online: <

Testimony on Canadian Foreign Policy in Iran, given before the Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade, House of Commons, Ottawa, 15 February 15 2012, online:

Testimony on the Human Rights Situation in Iran, given before the Sub-Committee on International Human Rights of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development, House of Commons, Ottawa, 26 February 2009, online: <

“Advancing Religious Freedom and Related Human Rights in Iran: Strategies for an Effective U.S. Policy”(public hearing of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom in Washington, D.C., 21 February 2008) online: <

Testimony on Canada’s National and International Human Rights Obligations, given before the Standing Committee on Human Rights of the Senate of Canada on United Nations Human Rights Council and treaty-bodies, House of Commons, Ottawa, 12 February 2007, online: <

Opinion Editorials

“Iranian regime still fears girl hanged 30 years ago”, Toronto Star (12 May 2014) online: <

With S Ebadi, “In Iran, human rights and nuclear security go hand in hand”, Washington Post (29 November 2013) online: <

With S Ebadi, “Iran’s calculus of terror includes Syrian response”, Globe and Mail (5 June 2012) online: <

“Time for Brazilian solidarity with the people of Iran”, Folha de Sao Paulo (29 May 2012) online: <

“Canada: Haven of choice for Iran’s elite”, Toronto Star (21 November 2011) online: <

With S Ebadi, “Leave every stone unturned”, Globe and Mail (28 September 2010) online: <

“No returning to Iran’s totalitarian past”, Globe and Mail (11 June 2010) online: <

“Torture testimony and consequences”, National Post (11 December 2009).

“Hostages, HatredAnd Iran”, National Post (4 November 2009).

“Ban Iranian leaders from Canada”, National Post (2 September 2009) online: (reproduced) <

“The West must stand by Iranian protestors”, The Ottawa Citizen (30 June 2009) online: (reproduced) <

“Why Canada Should Help the Iranian-Canadian ‘Blogfather’” Gozaar: A Forum on Human Rights and Democracy in Iran (19 December 2008) online: <

“A policy of intolerance”, Globe and Mail (20 May 2008) online: <

“Ahmadinejad is not Iran:West should be aware the president does not speak for his people”, Montreal Gazette (1 October 2007) online: (reproduced) <

“How we stop the next Darfur”, Globe and Mail (10 September 2007) online: <

“Iran makes a travesty of human rights”, Globe and Mail (22 June 2006) online: <