The Court-martial of Corporal Payne and Others and the Future Landscape of International Criminal Justice

The court-martial of Corporal Payne and others involved thefirst charges brought under the International Criminal Court(ICC) Act in the United Kingdom, and led to the first Britishsoldier ever to be convicted for a war crime under internationallaw. But the significance of the case extends far beyond itsnational implications; it represents an important illustrationof the national-level accountability heralded by the ICC regime.This article critically examines the court-martial of CorporalPayne and others, and uses this analysis as the basis of a broaderexploration of the contrast between domestic courts-martialand international courts as fora for trying international crimes.The final part of the article explores the potential significanceof that dichotomy for the future landscape of internationalcriminal justice.