Other “Hybrid” Tribunals

Abstract

AbstractThe term ‘hybrid tribunals’ denotes judicial mechanisms for the administration of justice whose organizational set up combines international and domestic features. In this chapter, the emphasis is on hybrid tribunals established to prosecute international and transnational crimes, such as the Special Panels for Serious Crimes in East Timor, the Special Court for Sierra Leone and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. The chapter discusses the definition of hybrid tribunals, the reasons put forward to justify their creation and the most frequent criticisms against them. Following this tour d’horizon, it explains that hybrid tribunals retain their attraction as a constant feature of the post-conflict peace-building toolbox, even after the establishment of the ICC. It presents four examples of hybrid courts (East Timor, Sierra Leone, Lebanon and Chad) which operated after the adoption of the 1998 ICC Statute. In conclusion, the chapter highlights that hybrid courts come in many different shapes and sizes; this versatility may constitute their most attractive feature for post-conflict justice, as well as their utmost vulnerability to claims of politicisation and ‘victor’s justice’.Keywordshybrid tribunalsinternationalised courtsSierra LeoneLebanonKosovo