Robertson, Geoffrey – The Bell Bookshop

Crimes against humanity

Emma — Thu, 07 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The definitive book on human rights law, now updated with a new chapter on war crimes in Ukraine and the continuing war in Gaza

In Crimes Against Humanity, Geoffrey Robertson KC explains why we must hold political and military leaders accountable for genocide, torture and mass murder.

He shows how human rights standards can be enforced against cruel governments, armies and multi-national corporations. This seminal work contains a critical perspective on events such as the invasion of Iraq, the abuses at Abu Ghraib, the killings in Darfur, the death of Milosevic and the trial of Saddam Hussein.

Cautiously optimistic about ending impunity, but unsparingly critical of diplomats, politicians, Bush lawyers and others who evade international rules, this book will provide further guidance to a movement which aims to make justice predominant in world affairs.

‘A beacon of clear-sighted commitment to the humanitarian cause … impassioned … exemplary … seminal’ Observer

‘A devastating critique of the inadequate response of the international community to violations of basic freedoms … a formidable achievement’ Evening Standard

The trial of Vladimir Putin

Emma — Thu, 14 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

There have been dozens of books about the Russian President Vladimir Putin since he launched his illegal invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Some have examined the historical aspects of the conflict, others have analysed its military and geopolitical importance. However, none so far have looked purely at the legal consequences of that disastrous action. This remarkable survey by one of our most celebrated human rights lawyers examines how the war in effect destroys the purpose of the United Nations by exposing the fatal flaw in its 1945 Charter: all five permanent UN members have a veto on any Security Council action. Russia cannot be expelled from the General Assembly for breaching the Charter without a Security Council recommendation, which Russia itself can veto! Geoffrey Robertson looks at the difficulties of bringing Putin to trial and why the popular campaign for a court to try him in absentia would not work; gives an explanation of the International Criminal Court charges he already faces; and surmises that any future peace agreement would include an amnesty for Putin (though, that amnesty would not be valid in international law).Putin is plainly guilty of the crime of aggression. But, asks Robertson, does the Bush doctrine of ‘pre-emptive self-defence’, developed to justify his invasion of Iraq, provide Putin with an opt-out? And could the ‘tu quoque’ defence (‘I did it, but you did it first’) be raised at Putin’s trial, as it was for Admiral Dönitz at Nuremberg?This brilliant deep-dive into international law offers a unique perspective on an unjust war that has cost the lives of hundreds of thousands of people and threatens to overturn the accepted world order, through the lens of its key protagonist.

Lawfare

Emma — Thu, 19 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000

How Russians, the Rich and the Government Try to Prevent Free Speech and How to Stop Them.

‘ESSENTIAL’ Amal Clooney
‘AUTHORITATIVE’ Sir Geoffrey Bindman KC
‘IMPORTANT ‘Baroness Helena Kennedy KC
‘COULD HARDLY BE MORE TIMELY’ Alan Rusbridger

The British tradition of “free speech” is a myth. From the middle ages to the present, the law of defamation has worked to cover up misbehaviour by the rich and powerful, whose legal mercenaries intimidate investigative journalists.

Now a new terror has been added through misguided judicial development of the laws of privacy, breach of confidence and data protection, to suppress the reporting of truths of public importance to tell.

Drawing upon the author’s unparalleled experience of defending journalists and editors in English and Commonwealth courtrooms over the past half-century, the book describes the hidden world of lawfare, in which authors struggle against unfair rules that put them always on the defensive and against a costs burden that runs to millions. Law schools do not teach freedom of speech and judges in the Supreme Court do not understand it.

This book identifies and advocates the reforms that will be necessary before Britain can truly boast that it is a land of free speech, rather than a place where free speech can come very expensive.