Today we pay special tribute to Canadian international criminal lawyer Christopher Black, whose death was announced on 5th June.
Fearless in his pursuit of truth and justice, Chris was an inspirational core member of our Balkan Conflicts research community. He was courage incarnate – braving numerous death threats to relentlessly expose the massive corruption and criminalisation of international justice.
As recently as the 25th of April he took part in our inaugural zoom conference to report on the latest efforts by Russia to hold nato to account for its crimes against Yugoslavia.
As counsel for Slobodan Milosevic his insights into the perversion of justice at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia were unrivalled. For many years Chris tirelessly fought systematic threats, intimidation and dirty tricks designed to silence him, undermine his defence and deny his clients a fair trial. This speech to the Rhodes Forum in 2014 displays his fierce dedication to the cause of justice and his characteristic way of cutting to the chase.
Chris was appointed counsel for the Hutu police chief at the Rwanda Tribunal despite repeated attempts to bar him on the ground that he lacked experience and couldn’t speak French – neither of which were true. The Tribunal simply wanted to ensure a weak, ineffective defence. Chris then goes on to define the real purpose of International Tribunals such as those for Rwanda and Yugoslavia – to forensically expose and catalogue in exhaustive detail their corrupt practices.
Staunch. dogged and determined Chris was also warm, approachable and open minded. His charm, courtesy and generosity of spirit were unfailing even in the most trying of circumstances. His legacy is assured. We at BCRT will do all we can to ensure his voice continues to be heard and never forgotten.
Articles by Chris Black can be seen on our X site and website at:
https://x.com/ResearchTeam/status/1926547468608491570
https://x.com/ResearchTeam/status/1666382785450221568
