The Role of Civil Society in Promoting Corporate Accountability for International Crimes.

This article examines the role of civil society actors—non-governmental organizations, victim groups, and human rights defenders—in pursuing corporate accountability for international crimes, focusing on prosecutions at international tribunals and domestic courts. It highlights limited engagement at the International Criminal Court (ICC), where jurisdiction is restricted to natural persons, leading civil society to increasingly file criminal and civil cases against corporations and executives in national jurisdictions, particularly in France and the USA. France has emerged as a preferred forum due to its legal provisions allowing corporate criminal liability, certification of victims as civil parties, and specialized war crimes units, enabling active civil society participation. In contrast, US courts have imposed higher legal barriers on corporate liability under the Alien Tort Claims Act, often limiting civil society’s role and focusing on sanctions or terrorism-related charges rather than direct crimes against victims. The article concludes that civil society’s efforts in domestic courts complement international tribunals by expanding avenues for accountability and offering victims additional opportunities for justice.