LECTURE
LUCIR lecture: Prosecution of Heads of State: What Happens After?
- Geoff Dancy & Timo Thoms
- Date
- Tuesday 27 May 2025
- Time
- Address
-
Wijnhaven
Turfmarkt 99
2511 DP The Hague - Room
- 2.02
Is it beneficial to prosecute current and former heads of state for atrocity? Some argue that prosecutions are a necessary response that affirms the rule of law and sets boundaries of appropriate behavior for political leaders. Others counter that prosecuting heads of state politicizes the judiciary and challenges democratic norms of forbearance: leaders might never cede power if they expect to be put on trial. Dancy and Thoms present evidence on all domestic and foreign prosecutions of heads of state since 1970. They examine what happens to liberal democracy, levels of repression, and political polarization in countries whose leaders have been put on trial. Their analysis reveals a paradox: in large majority of countries with heads of state prosecutions, repression declines substantially, though in many cases political polarization also increases. In the end, trying heads of state may contribute to prevention of state violence, but at the cost of greater political division.
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