Prosecuting Heads of State

The meteoric rise in criminal prosecutions of former heads of state is examined for the first time in this probing and engaging narrative.

Ellen L. Lutz (Edited by), Caitlin Reiger (Edited by)

9780521491099, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 16 March 2009

352 pages, 3 b/w illus. 1 table
23.5 x 15.8 x 2 cm, 0.58 kg

'… a solid analysis and a valuable resource for scholars and practitioners alike … looks beyond trial transcripts and official records to the impact that international justice institutions have had or should have, providing scholars, practitioners and the public with analyses that stand in contrast to the uncritical support often seen elsewhere.' International Journal of Transitional Justice

Since 1990, 65 former heads of state or government have been legitimately prosecuted for serious human rights or financial crimes. Many of these leaders were brought to trial in reasonably free and fair judicial processes, and some served time in prison as a result. This book explores the reasons for the meteoric rise in trials of senior leaders and the motivations, public dramas, and intrigues that accompanied efforts to bring them to justice. Drawing on an analysis of the 65 cases, the book examines the emergence of regional trends in Europe and Latin America and contains case studies of high-profile trials of former government leaders: Augusto Pinochet (Chile), Alberto Fujimori (Peru), Slobodan Milosevic (former Yugoslavia), Charles Taylor (Liberia and Sierra Leone), and Saddam Hussein (Iraq) – studies written by experts who closely followed their cases and their impacts on wider societies. This is the only book that examines the rise in the number of domestic and international trials globally and tells the tales in readable prose and with fascinating details.

1. Introduction
2. Prosecutions of heads of state in Europe Ellen L. Lutz
3. Prosecutions of heads of state in Latin America Naomi Roht-Arriaza
4. The multiple prosecutions of Augusto Pinochet Naomi Roht-Arriaza
5. A leader takes flight: the indictment of Alberto Fujimori Ronald Gamarra
6. Charm and punishment: how Joseph Estrada, the Philippines' leading man, became its most famous prisoner Abby Wood
7. Shifting legitimacy: the trials of Frederick Chiluba Paul Lewis
8. A justice 'trickle-down': Rwanda's first post-genocide president on trial Lars Waldorf
9. Justice squandered? The trial of Slobodan Miloševi? Emir Suljagic
10. A big man in a small cell: Charles Taylor and the special court for Sierra Leone Abdul Tejan Cole
11. Political pedagogy, Baghdad style: the Dujail trial of Saddam Hussein Miranda Sissons and Marieke Wierda
12. Conclusion Ellen L. Lutz and Caitlin Reiger.

Subject Areas: Criminal justice law [LNFB], Human rights & civil liberties law [LNDC]