War-crimes investigator Chris Engels '04 discusses mission in new interview

  • by Carla Meyer

Chris Engels (second from left) caught up with former King Hall visiting Professor Larry Johnson, far right, in Baghdad.

Chris Engels ’04, director of investigations and operations for the Commission for International Justice & Accountability, talked about his work with the commission in an interview posted on the U.S. Helsinki Commission’s website.

The Commission for International Justice and Accountability (CIJA) is a non-governmental organization that investigates atrocity crimes and terrorism committed during conflicts and prepares evidence for prosecutions in criminal trials. Its current investigations encompass Iraq, Syria, Myanmar (Burma), and the Central African Republic, Engels said in the interview.

Larry D. Johnson, former assistant secretary-general for legal affairs at United Nations headquarters, serves on CIJA’s board. Like Engels, Johnson has King Hall connections: He was a visiting professor at UC Davis School of Law in 2001-02. Engels and Johnson recently caught up with each other in Baghdad, where the CIJA was advising the Iraqi government on addressing Islamic state accountability.