Abstract
This paper explores the relationship between spectacle and law as it unfolds in international criminal law. The spectacularised construction of the victim of international crime as a replica of the familiar fundraising image of victimhood serves as a critical lens into narratives of international criminality and its seeming antithesis of humanitarianism.
Highlights
This paper explores the relationship between spectacle and law as it unfolds in international criminal law
The spectacularised construction of the victim of international crime as a replica of the familiar fundraising image of victimhood serves as a critical lens into narratives of international criminality and its seeming antithesis of humanitarianism
The images used, for example, on the homepage of the International Criminal Court’s Trust Fund for Victims (TFV),[5] or on the web page of the ICC dedicated to victims,[6] could be interchangeable with those used by one of the global human rights non-governmental organisations (NGOs) such as Amnesty International or Human Rights Watch
Summary
Opening statements in the international criminal courtroom are interesting for seeing the construction of victimhood at play. Just as humanitarian agencies use images of victims as a strategy for competing in the marketplace for aid dollars, I understand ‘spectacle’ to operate in the same way in the international criminal justice system—as a mechanism employed for marketing purposes While these marketing purposes may be distinctly donor-focused, understanding victimhood as spectacularised highlights how the discipline of ICL is generally subjected to market-based rationalities. Given the geographical distance between international tribunals and those affected by crimes, most of the public gallery in international criminal tribunals is taken up, not by those supporting the accused or the affected, but by researchers and, occasionally, the media.[36] A witness who is farremoved from their usual social support networks might be more impressionable, both by the seeming force of the law as well as by any coaching prior to appearing in court.[37] In terms of the construction of imagery, victims themselves either have a minor or no role to play
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