As the use of universal jurisdiction lies at the heart of TRIAL International’s mission, the International Investigations and Litigation (IIL) Program is one of the organization’s founding pillars. Established in 2011, the program has grown over time. Its legal team is composed of specialized advisors trained in litigation and investigation.
The IIL Program leverages the legal principles of extraterritorial and universal jurisdiction to challenge impunity for international crimes. Extraterritorial and universal jurisdiction allow, and in certain cases require, States to prosecute crimes that were committed beyond their borders. The program is involved in those investigations with the aim of responding to the victims’ struggle for justice and to establish responsibilities of the perpetrators of the crimes.
In practice, this means that the IIL Program supports cases prosecuted in countries other than the ones where the crimes were committed. Oftentimes, the prosecuting country is the one where the suspect is present at the time of referral to the prosecuting authority.
The IIL Program’s investigation efforts aim at building criminal cases against those who may be responsible for international crimes, whether individuals or companies, to establish legal precedents and bring lasting systemic change. Criminal complaints filed by the IIL Program have triggered numerous public investigations and prosecutions in countries exercising universal or extraterritorial jurisdiction.
The Program also focuses on criminal responsibility of economic and financial actors, such as companies and businesspersons, potentially involved in international crime through their activities.
In carrying out its mandate, the IIL team joins forces with NGOs documenting human rights violations, victims’ and survivors’ associations, specialized investigators, lawyers and human rights defenders.
Since its establishment, the program has filed over 30 criminal complaints in half a dozen national jurisdictions for crimes committed in around 15 different countries on almost all continents. As of the beginning of 2025, it had supported more than 150 victims of international crimes.
The IIL Program supports victims and survivors of international crimes by providing legal counsel as well as logistical support to participate in procedures. The IIL Program connects victims who wish to file complaints with lawyers. The Program also refers victims and survivors wishing to receive psychological support to therapists specialized in trauma.
Beyond supporting individual plaintiffs, the program strives to make justice visible and accessible to affected communities. Given that trials based on extraterritorial and universal jurisdictions take place far from where the crimes were committed, bridging the geographic, linguistic and cultural gaps between the prosecuting countries and affected communities is crucial. for this purpose, the IIL Program has developed targeted outreach and communication strategies and partners with local civil society actors to disseminate key information and provide insights about universal jurisdiction cases.
To promote the use of universal and extraterritorial jurisdictions as an effective tool to fight impunity, the IIL Program leads the drafting and publication of two reference guide series intended for legal practitioners:
The IIL Program also published the Universal Jurisdiction Interactive Map (UJIM), an online tool providing a global and up to date overview of extraterritorial and universal jurisdiction cases around the world.
Moreover, on behalf of TRIAL International, the lIL Program participates in the biannual European Genocide Networkmeetings in The Hague and is a member of the Corporate Crimes NGO Network, the Swiss Coalition for Responsible Multinationals, and the Swiss anti-SLAPP Coalition.