Mark Kersten

Background

About Mark Kersten

I am a researcher, academic, and advocate for justice and accountability for human rights violations and international crimes, available for opportunities to do research and analysis on these areas. I have over 15 years of experience studying and working in international criminal justice, human rights, and pressing accountability challenges in Canada and abroad. I am interested in engaging with communities, organizations and advocates to identify new and creative ways to address atrocities and provide remedies to victims and survivors of political violence. I am currently an Assistant Professor focusing on human rights law, international criminal law, and Canadian law at the University of the Fraser Valley. I am also a Senior Consultant at the Wayamo Foundation, and NGO which focuses on responding to mass atrocity events. My research and practice-based work focuses on: the pursuit of justice and accountability for human rights violations and mass atrocities; peace processes and conflict resolution; the link between core international crimes and transnational organized crimes; and the intersection of all of the above with local, regional and global politics. In 2011, I founded the blog Justice in Conflict (https://justiceinconflict.org), which regularly publishes articles on the challenges of pursuing international criminal justice in the context of ongoing violent political conflicts. I have also taught courses on international political theory, genocide, the politics of international law, diplomacy, and conflict and peace studies. In addition to my academic research, I have worked as the Transitional Justice Researcher at Lawyers for Justice in Libya (LFJL), as a Research Associate at the Refugee Law Project in Uganda, as a researcher at Justice Africa in London. In 2016, my book 'Justice in Conflict - The Effects of the International Criminal Court's Interventions on Ending Wars and Building Peace' was published by Oxford University Press. Between 2023-2024, I worked for the Office of the Independent Special Interlocutor for Missing Children and Unmarked Graves and Burial Sites associated with Indian Residential Schools. For more, don't hesitate to get in touch! see: http://markkersten.com