ABSTRACT
This chapter describes efforts made in national and international jurisdictions to prosecute persons responsible for gross violations of international human rights. The chapter begins with a review of the legal basis for such prosecutions, including a summary of the concept known as “universal jurisdiction.” After a discussion of prosecutions that occur in national jurisdictions, the author reviews efforts to prosecute violators of fundamental human rights in international courts. Domestic and international efforts to prosecute perpetrators, while often incomplete and imperfect, are an important tool for the protection of fundamental human rights. Nevertheless, it is necessary to look beyond formal concepts of justice to fi nd more comprehensive and sustainable ways to redress systematic human rights abuses.
