Towards a New Normal: Digitization of International Criminal Law in the Age of Coronavirus

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Traditionally, the legal field has lagged behind others in its innovative uses of technology to serve the interests of justice.  In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, physical distancing measures adopted to curtail the spread of coronavirus presented challenges to conventional resources and practices used by international courts and tribunals.  In response, the pandemic forced these courts and tribunals to follow suit and determine the role that digital resources could play in the realms of court proceedings and evidence collection. 

This Note observes the adaptations international courts and tribunals, including the International Criminal Court, the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, Special Tribunal for Lebanon, and the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, have adopted since March 2020 to continue their mandate during the pandemic, as well as their increased reliance upon digital tools that emerged prior to the pandemic, with a focus on virtual proceedings and digital evidence. The Note further considers the potential longevity of this increased use of digital resources in the field of international criminal law, and how the development of these tools can serve the interests of transitional justice by offering cost-saving solutions to courts, strengthening investigations and prosecutions, and increasing access to international criminal proceedings.

Elizabeth R. White

J.D., Columbia Law School, 2022