Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Alex Batesmith

@batesmith.bsky.social

670 followers 810 following 44 posts

Associate Prof, School of Law, University of Leeds. Teach/research legal professions, cause lawyers, (international) criminal law, transitional justice. Often focusing on Cambodia & Myanmar. Ex-UN prosecutor, barrister.

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Alex Batesmith @batesmith.bsky.social · May 21

📢 Out today! Our article in Law & Society Review on #CauseLawyers in #Cambodia, exploring lawyers' strategies of #Closeting under #Authoritarianism: co-authored with @kieranmcevoy.bsky.social for @lawandsociety.bsky.social. Open access, too!
🔗 www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

“Closeted” cause lawyering in authoritarian Cambodia | Law & Society Review | Cambridge Core

“Closeted” cause lawyering in authoritarian Cambodia

www.cambridge.org

1 4 4

Reposted by Alex Batesmith

Law and Society Association @lawandsociety.bsky.social · 12d

What are “closeted” cause lawyers, and what is their relationship to #RuleOfLaw? Check out the latest LSR issue to learn more! bit.ly/LSRSep25

@kieranmcevoy.bsky.social
@batesmith.bsky.social

Current LSR Issue | Law & Society Association

The Law & Society Review is LSA’s flagship quarterly law journal. Browse the articles in the current LSR issue here.

bit.ly

2 2

Alex Batesmith @batesmith.bsky.social · Aug 28

And it's always great to be back @qubelfastofficial.bsky.social!

Alex Batesmith @batesmith.bsky.social · Aug 28

Presented a version of the forthcoming article co-written with Chalen Westaby on the #emotions and #EmotionalLabour of #warcrimes #lawyers

Alex Batesmith @batesmith.bsky.social · Aug 28

Really enjoying swimming in a slightly different academic stream from the usual: here in Belfast for the European Sociological Association's Sociology of Emotions midterm conference "Emotions in Post-/ Conflict and Post-/ Crisis Societies"

1 5

Alex Batesmith @batesmith.bsky.social · Aug 4

I'm trying to identify the person who deals with Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at the School of Law ‪@uniofbradford.bsky.social‬ - any ideas?

It's for an invitation to join the Working Group of the #BarDiversityHub we're working on this coming academic year!

Reposted by Alex Batesmith

Human Rights Law Centre (HRLC) @uon-hrlc.bsky.social · Jul 14

Session two, which focussed on contemporary developments in substantive crimes, was chaired by Caleb Wheeler with presentations from Victor Kattan (@victorkattan.bsky.social), Jolana Makraiová, Hemi Mistry (@hemimistry.bsky.social), Daryna Abbakumova & Francesco Cunsolo #UoN_ICL25 #IntlCrimJustice

Image of session two of the 2025 Nottingham International Criminal Justice Conference, featuring six speakers (L:R Hemi Mistry, Francesco Cunsolo, Caleb Wheeler, Victor Kattan, Daryna Abbakumova & Jolana Makraiová).

Session Two: Contemporary Developments in Substantive Crimes

Chair: Caleb Wheeler, Cardiff University

Apartheid as a crime against humanity: Recent developments - Victor Kattan, University of Nottingham

Complexities behind ‘incitement’ to violence and ‘hate’ speech from a criminal justice perspective - Rachel Horan, The Averment Group*, and Jolana Makraiová, International Nuremberg Principles Academy*

Atrocious Images: Combatant-Produced Illicit Imagery as Hate Speech in International Criminal Law - Hemi Mistry, University of Nottingham

Challenges of Prosecuting Cyberattacks as Cyber-Enabled Crimes under the Rome Statute - Daryna Abbakumova, Geneva Graduate Institute

New challenges in prosecuting intentional destruction of cultural heritage - Francesco Cunsolo, Università di Bologna

5 7

Reposted by Alex Batesmith

Human Rights Law Centre (HRLC) @uon-hrlc.bsky.social · Jul 15

We begin the 2nd day of the UoN International Criminal Justice Conference by exploring the autobiographically constructed identities & emotional labour of intl criminal lawyers. Chaired by Mando Rachovitsa w/ presenters @ilariazavoli.bsky.social & @batesmith.bsky.social #UoN_ICL25 #IntlCrimJustice

Image of session five of the 2025 Nottingham International Criminal Justice Conference, featuring three speakers (L:R Alex Batesmith, Mando Rachovitsa, and Ilaria Zavoli).

Session Five: Emotions and International Criminal Justice

Chair: Mando Rachovitsa, University of Nottingham

Narratives of the Self: Professional Identity in the Autobiographies of
International Criminal Lawyers - Ilaria Zavoli, University of Leeds (UK) and Alex Batesmith, University of Leeds (UK)

Invisible Labour, Visible Strain: The Unacknowledged Emotional Labour of International Criminal Lawyers - Alex Batesmith, University of Leeds (UK)

4 7

Alex Batesmith @batesmith.bsky.social · Jul 14

Very happy to be here presenting on #AutoHistories of #InternationalCriminalLawyers with @ilariazavoli.bsky.social (and later my own paper on #EmotionalLabour in #ICL)

Human Rights Law Centre (HRLC) @uon-hrlc.bsky.social · Jul 14

We are hugely excited to kick off the 2025 Nottingham International Criminal Law Conference this morning, bringing together leading academics, practitioners & policymakers to discuss current issues & recent developments in the field! #UoN_ICJ25 #IntlCrimJustice

A picture of the University Park Campus at the University of Nottingham.

1 5 9

Alex Batesmith @batesmith.bsky.social · Jul 10

New podcast alert! Great to talk to ‪@rachelkillean.bsky.social‬ Lauren Dempster about their powerful, thought-provoking new book "Green Transitional Justice". Spread the word! newbooksnetwork.com/rachel-kille...

#TransitionalJustice #GreenTransitionalJustice #EnvironmentalJustice #Nature

Rachel Killean and Lauren Dempster, "Green Transitional Justice" (Routledge, 2025) - New Books Network

newbooksnetwork.com

4 4

Alex Batesmith @batesmith.bsky.social · May 21

Given the recent attacks on #Lawyers and the #RuleOfLaw within traditionally democratic states, this article is also relevant to #CauseLawyers #ActivistLawyers #HumanRightsLawyers operating outside authoritarian regimes. We look forward to the debate.

Alex Batesmith @batesmith.bsky.social · May 21

“Closeted” cause lawyering in authoritarian Cambodia | Law & Society Review | Cambridge Core

“Closeted” cause lawyering in authoritarian Cambodia

www.cambridge.org

1 4 4

Alex Batesmith @batesmith.bsky.social · Apr 17

Finally presenting is Karen Nokes on the personal cost of in-house lawyers "holding the line" in the #HorizonScandal #SLSA2025

Alex Batesmith @batesmith.bsky.social · Apr 17

#SLSA2025 #HorizonScandal

1 1

Alex Batesmith @batesmith.bsky.social · Apr 17

#SLSA2025 #HorizonScandal

1 1

Alex Batesmith @batesmith.bsky.social · Apr 17

Sally Day continues the discussion: looking at the data from the guilty pleas in the cases against subpostmasters/-mistresses #HorizonScandal #SLSA2025

Alex Batesmith @batesmith.bsky.social · Apr 17

Final day, final panel at #SLSA2025, with @richardmoorhead.bsky.social and team on the #HorizonScandal at the #PostOffice: telling the story of the failings and misfeasance of the lawyers.