UN-Backed Hybrid Criminal Tribunals (hcts): Viable Options in International Criminal Justice?

Abstract

Although the UN-Security Council established the International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, UN-international criminal tribunals were not replicated. The UN instead directly participated in creating hcts such as the Special Court for Sierra Leone, the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. Thus, this article seeks to determine whether UN-backed hcts constitute viable options in international criminal justice. These tribunals may be viable options if they are adequately implemented. Particularly when compared to UN-international criminal tribunals, reasons for their viability include their closer proximity to or larger impact on national societies, less costly work, shorter proceedings, and flexible mandates adapted to each context. Nevertheless, their viability depends on whether they can handle challenges concerning coordination between their international and national components, funding limitations, security issues, relationship with international criminal tribunals (especially the International Criminal Court), and relationship with national institutions.