Human Rights Prosecutors? The High Commissioner for Human Rights, International Justice, and the Example of Syria

Abstract

This chapter explores this relationship between the High Commissioner and international justice and asks what this portends for the future of Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). It addresses questions such as: What are the origins of this relationship and how are these different actors meant to interact? How should OHCHR and the High Commissioner in particular, engage with international justice? What opportunities exist for the High Commissioner to advance the goals of international justice? What might the framework of a High Commissioner-International Justice relationship look like? Are there any risks involved in the increasing association of OHCHR with international justice? If so, are those acceptable risks? How may those risks be managed? The author recommends ways to conceive of the High Commissioner's work in international justice, drawing only superficially and briefly on other examples of OHCHR work beyond Syria. Keywords:international justice; OHCHR; Syria