International Citizens' Tribunals : Mobilizing Public Opinion to Advance Human Rights

Faced with injustice, what can a concerned citizen do? In 1933, when Hitler blamed Communists for setting the Reichstag on fire, European and American lawyers responded by staging a countertrial , which proved them innocent and eventually led to their release, launching a new unofficial way of advancing human rights. This book is the first full account of citizens' tribunals. It tells the history of such tribunals from this first success to the mixed record of subsequent efforts: the Moscow show trials, the American war in Vietnam, Japanese sexual slavery, the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, and the excesses of “global capitalism.” When faced with injustice what can a concerned citizen do? In 1933, when Hitler tried to blame Communists for setting the German parliament on fire, a group of European and American lawyers responded by staging a countertrial, which proved them innocent and eventually led to their release. A new unofficial way of advancing human rights was thus launched. This groundbreaking study narrates the history of such 'citizens tribunals' from this first astonishing success to the mixed record of subsequent efforts-including tribunals on the Moscow show trials, the American war in Vietnam, Japanese sexual slavery, the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, and the excesses of 'global capitalism'. Front Matter....Pages i-xi Citizens’ Power....Pages 1-10 The Berlin Cauldron....Pages 11-17 Rallying to the Defense....Pages 19-30 Showdown in Leipzig....Pages 31-42 Aftermath....Pages 43-50 Deep Freeze....Pages 51-61 A Tribunal Crystallizes....Pages 63-77 South of the Border....Pages 79-89 Deliberations and Recriminations....Pages 91-101 The Activist Philosopher....Pages 103-110 Plan of Action....Pages 111-122 Behind the Scenes at Stockholm....Pages 123-137 The Swedish Context....Pages 139-147 Second Wind....Pages 149-162 Proliferation....Pages 163-185 Agenda for Reform....Pages 187-194 Back Matter....Pages 195-256