The Impact of Cultural Diversity on International Criminal Proceedings

This article analyses the impact of cultural diversity on international criminal proceedings, and what may be done to counter the unfortunate conditions — limited (or lack of) understanding, alienation and disagreement — resulting from this diversity. Each of these conditions, if ignored, seriously undermines not merely the efficacy of international criminal tribunals, but also their worth from the standpoint of those who are supposed to benefit from them, i.e. actual participants (accused, witnesses and victims) and affected populations. At present, international criminal tribunals primarily understand the problem of cultural diversity as one of how to cope with linguistic variations. However, a persistent focus on culture as language hides differences in terms of other culture-specific components of equal relevance to their work, notably socio-cultural norms and convictions about justice. These variations are especially difficult to tackle. In this context, the article examines whether national courts, which are assumed to conduct their proceedings in more culturally homogenous settings, offer more appropriate fora of adjudication of grave crimes under international law.