Author Archives: Beth S. Lyons

                                    Today, 6 April, is 30 years since the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) shot down the plane carrying two Hutu Presidents, Juvenal Habyarimana of Rwanda and Cyprien Ntaryamira of Burundi, killing them and the plane’s crew members.  These assassinations was the event which triggered the killings of Tutsis, Hutus and Twas throughout Rwanda inContinue reading “To commemorate the 6th April 1994, the IRMCT should prosecute the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) for its crimes in 1994 and fight for the   freedom of the ICTR acquitted and released persons in Niger – who remain victims of 1994[1]”

 Introduction Most criminal defence attorneys are asked, at least a few times in the course of their careers, How can you do what you do?  How can you defend “x”?  How can you defend someone charged with “y”?   The query may be made by a friend or relative or even, sometimes, a colleague who practicesContinue reading “Why I Do International Criminal Defence Work”

Comment on Independent Expert Review of the ICC and the Rome Statute System (This post was published by Opinio Juris on 11 December 2020 at Comment on Independent Expert Review of the ICC and the Rome Statute System – Opinio Juris) 11.12.20 | 0 Comments [Beth S. Lyons has been a criminal defence attorney for more than 30 years, practicingContinue reading

(This post first appeared on IntLawGrrls website on 27 October 2020. It is an excerpt from a longer forthcoming article on ‘How to Litigate an International Criminal Case’) Introduction It should be uncontested that for a defence counsel to do her/his job effectively, it is necessary to put aside whatever prejudices and pre-conceived notions s/heContinue reading “Defending Against Charges of Sexual and Gender-Based Crimes: Confronting Prejudices of Counsel on a Defence Team”