Patryk I. Labuda
I am an assistant professor of international law and international relations at Central European University in Vienna. I was previously an assistant professor at the University of Amsterdam, and have held positions at the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, New York University School of Law, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, University of Zurich, Polish Academy of Sciences, and Free University of Berlin.
Specialized in international (criminal) law, peace and security studies, and global history, I have two main strands of research: 1) the impact of global governance institutions, especially international criminal tribunals and UN peace operations, on domestic law and politics; 2) double standards in international law and Second World approaches to international law, which inform my work on shifts in the global order from a post-colonial Global South-East(ern European) perspective. In the policy realm, I support justice initiatives and promote exchanges between the Global South(s) and Global East(s), drawing on 14 years of work and research experience in Africa (with a regional focus on the law, politics and history of DR Congo, Central African Republic, and the Sudans).
In 2024, I was elected to a four-year term on the Board of the European Society of International Law.
Je travaille en français et en anglais. Wykładam po polsku.
Photo credit: International Nuremberg Principles Academy 2017
In addition to an award-winning book with Oxford University Press, my work has featured in the Yale Journal of International Law, Leiden Journal of International Law, European Journal of International Law, Max Planck Yearbook of United Nations Law, Journal of International Criminal Justice, Journal of Conflict and Security Law, Journal on the Use of Force and International Law, and leading academic presses (here). I am a regular contributor to mainstream and social media (here).
Follow my work on X (former Twitter).
Al Jazeera
Radio France Internationale
Just Security
Justice Info
My book International Criminal Tribunals & Domestic Accountability. In the Court's Shadow (2023) can be ordered at OUP and Amazon.
Winner of International Law Association American Branch 'Best First Book Award'.
More on the book's arguments at book project and a few blurbs below:
'deftly exposes the paradox of the increasing turn to domestic prosecutions of international crimes... Labuda’s thoughtful book is a must read for anyone interested in the future of international criminal law.'
Charles C. Jalloh, Distinguished University Professor, Florida International University
'In offering both broad historical context and fine-grained case study illustration, Labuda expands our understanding of complementarity in both theory and practice. Whatever one's opinion about the appropriate relationship between the International Criminal Court and national judiciaries, this book is an eye-opening and essential read.'
Kim Thuy Seelinger, Research Associate Professor, Washington University; Special Adviser on Sexual Violence in Conflict to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court
'a timely book...[that] assesses the relocation of the anti-impunity agenda closer to the locus of the crimes at the state level, and interrogates the important role that societal actors have to play in engaging national institutions in pursuing redress and accountability for atrocities. This is a superlative study that needs to be engaged with by analysts, policy-makers and practitioners of international criminal justice.'
Tim Murithi, Institute for Justice and Reconciliation, Cape Town, Professor of African Studies, University of the Free State and Stellenbosch University in South Africa
'Labuda’s work is to law what Caravaggio’s chiaroscuro is to the canvas – Labuda illuminates, places candles in the darkness, and reveals what is obscured. This excellent book offers wise counsel about how international criminal law enforcement can combat the increasingly illiberal swagger of our political times.'
Mark A. Drumbl, Class of 1975 Alumni Professor of Law, Washington and Lee University
Double Standards and International Law
Second Workshop
15-17 May 2025, Geneva, Switzerland
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