CSU College of Law students, under the supervisions of CSU College of Law’s International Law Center Director and Professor Milena Sterio, are assisting prosecutors in The Gambia, at the Special Tribunal for the Gambia, with evidence gathering and other research (The Gambia Accountability Project). The Project student associates include Morgan Malone, Hailey Moran, Emma Prusha, Cael Shaw, Yulia Engman, Grace Hays, Alexander Munster, and Nura Latif.

The Special Tribunal for the Gambia is a hybrid regional court officially established on December 15, 2024, by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to prosecute gross human rights violations and international crimes committed during the 1994–2017 regime of former dictator Yahya Jammeh. The Tribunal is a hybrid model of accountability, utilizing both Gambian and international judges, prosecutors, and defense attorneys. It covers crimes committed between 1994 and 2017, and its jurisdictional mandate covers international crimes such as murder, torture, rape, enforced disappearances.

CSU College of Law students will assist the Tribunal prosecutor with gathering so-called linkage evidence which would tie the former President Jammeh to the commission of these crimes. Students will in particular focus on creating a data base of public statements and other pronouncement by Jammeh, as well as of accompanying military decrees or other executive orders. This type of linkage evidence will assist the prosecutor in demonstrating Jammeh’s responsibility as political and/or military commander. The Gambia Accountability Project is the first of its kind at CSU; it is conducted under the auspices of the CSU College of Law International Law Center.

Professor Milena Sterio published an article titled “United States Sanctions Against the International Criminal Court: A Threat to the Global Pursuit of Justice” in the Journal of International Criminal Justice. The Journal is a peer-reviewed academic publication by Oxford University Press and ranks at the very top of international law journals world-wide.

In this article, Professor Sterio discusses the current US sanctions regime against prosecutors and judges of the International Criminal Court and places it in a historical context. She analyses the history of the US relationship with the Court and explains the relevant statutory authority used by the current US President to impose the sanctions. Professor Sterio then analyses the operational implications of the sanctions regime for the individuals affected and for the ICC, as well as the broader global consequences of this type of action levied by a powerful nation such as the USA against a prominent international institution like the ICC.

Professor Milena Sterio presented at the European Society of International Law Annual Conference in Malaga, Spain, on September 1 and 2.  Professor Sterio presented at a session organized by the International Law and Philosophy Interest Group of ESIL on the topic of “The Role of International Lawyers During Times of Crisis: Lawyers are not Potted Plants.”  Professor Sterio’s remarks focused on the argument that international lawyers have a particular duty, during time of crisis, to reaffirm the rule of law as well as to advocate for a novel interpretation of the rules, when this is appropriate and necessary.

Professor Sterio also participated as an expert trainer in the International Bar Association training program of Ukrainian judges and prosecutors on the topic of extradition and mutual legal assistance, which took place in Krakow, Poland, from September 8-10.  Professor Sterio participated in sessions on extradition practices in the United States, extradition and human rights law, and universal jurisdiction.  Professor Sterio has previously participated in two similar IBA trainings in Poland on the topic of prosecuting environmental crimes as war crimes.  

Professor Sterio participated as an expert in the Choosing the Bench workshop, held at the University of Utrecht, Netherlands, on September 9.  The workshop participants discussed the development of a specific set of criteria and qualifications for international judges, sitting on tribunals such as the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court.  All workshop participants, including Professor Sterio, will continue to work on a document in the form of guidelines which will contain such criteria.  In addition, all workshop participants, including Professor Sterio, will publish expert remarks in the Netherlands Law Review. 

Professor Milena Sterio organized and also participated in an expert group discussion on the topic of gender parity at the International Court of Justice on May 8, at the United Nations in New York City.  The event was sponsored by the Singapore Mission to the United Nations, and also co-sponsored by the Missions of Vietnam and Colombia.  The expert group participants included legal advisors to the various states at the United Nations, as well as select academics.  Participants discussed strategies toward improving gender parity at the ICJ in light of upcoming judicial elections in 2026.

Professor Milena Sterio participated in the American Society of International Law – International Courts and Tribunals annual workshop at Fordham Law School on May 15. Professor Sterio served as commentator for Professor Maggie Gardner’s paper (Cornell Law School) on the presumption against extra-territoriality. 

On May 21, Professor Sterio presented at the William & Mary Law School workshop on international law. The workshop – by invitation only – assembled a small group of international law experts. Professor Sterio presented her paper on the topic of “Artificial Intelligence and the Use of Autonomous Weapons.” A version of this paper will be published by the American University International Law Journal.

Professor Milena Sterio participated in the SEALS Annual Meeting in Amelia Island, Florida, from July 27-31.  Professor Sterio presented at several sessions.  On July 28, she presented at the “Teaching and Researching in Civil and Comparative Law.” On July 29, she presented at the “Governing Digital Transformation: Regulatory Competition, Institutional Capacity, and the Future of Rights.”  Also on July 29, she presented at the “Corporate Power and Accountability in Global Value Chains: Human Rights, Sustainability, Labor and Technology.” And on July 30, Professor Sterio moderated a session which she organized on the topic of “Revisiting the Trump Administration’s Use of Force: International and Comparative Law Issues.”  

Professor Milena Sterio participated in the Biennial Meeting of the International Law Association in Vienna, Austria, from August 17-21.  Professor Sterio is a member of ILA’s Rights of Nature Committee. In that capacity, she contributed to the elaboration of the Committee’s first report, available here. She also participated in Committee deliberations in Vienna. 

In addition, Professor Sterio is a member of ILA’s newly founded Study Group on Rule of Law, and she participated in the Study Group’s first meeting and deliberations in Vienna.  Professor Sterio is on the Board of Directors of the American Branch of the ILA, where she also serves as Co-Director of Studies and Co-Chair of the Gender Justice in International Law Committee.  

Professor Milena Sterio participated in an event entitled “Women’s Equal and Inclusive Representation in International Law: Learning Lessons and Overcoming Barriers” on June 10 at the United Nations in New York City. The event was organized by the Permanent Mission of Vietnam to the UN, and it was co-sponsored by the Permanent Missions of Canada, Mexico, Spain, Portugal and Belgium, as well as by the Gender Justice Committee at the American Branch of the International Law Association (which Professor Sterio co-founded and which she co-chairs).

Professor Milena Sterio participated in the American Society of International Law – International Courts and Tribunals annual workshop at Fordham Law School on May 15. Professor Sterio served as commentator for a paper by Professor Maggie Gardner (Cornell Law School) on the presumption against extra-territoriality. 

Professor Sterio also presented at the William & Mary Law School workshop on international law on May 21. The workshop – by invitation only – assembled a small group of international law experts. Professor Sterio presented her paper on the topic of “Artificial Intelligence and the Use of Autonomous Weapons.” A version of this paper will be published by the American University International Law Journal.