Filling the Justice Gap: Yazidis, Universal Jurisdiction and International Law

What happens when justice is dispersed across multiple jurisdictions and forums? What are the potentials and limitations of these cases in addressing crimes against the Yazidis?
Through a conversation with Harvard Law Professors Alex Whiting and Ioannis Kalpouzos, we will examine universal jurisdiction cases, corporate accountability, the future of international criminal law, the role of international tribunals. The panel will be moderated by Nariman Salem Hame (LLM ’26).

For context, in 2014, ISIS attacked Yazidi villages in Sinjar, killing, capturing, and internally displacing populations. The situation remains dire. The city of Sinjar, the Yazidis’ ancestral homeland lies largely in ruins, with few having returned. ISIS’ atrocities against Yazidis took place primarily in Iraq and Syria. Yet neither Iraq nor Syria has ratified the Rome Statute or given ad hoc consent to the International Criminal Court (ICC). A patchwork of proceedings based on universal jurisdiction as well as corporate accountability cases have emerged throughout the world to fill the justice gap.

Lunch from Falafel Corner will be provided on a first-come and first-served basis!