Lucy Jane Gaynor

Lucy Gaynor is a historian at the University of Amsterdam and the NIOD Institute for War, Holocaust, and Genocide Studies. She is currently pursuing her PhD, focusing on the construction of historical narratives in international criminal trials. Specifically, her research examines the narration and contestation of Rwandan history at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.

Gaynor holds a BA in History from Trinity College Dublin and an MA in Holocaust and Genocide Studies from the University of Amsterdam/NIOD. Her broader research interests include the interactions of law and history following atrocities, with a particular focus on perpetrators, testimony, memory, and restorative justice across Africa.

In her PhD, Gaynor delves into the testimony of historical expert witnesses at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, exploring how Rwandan history has been discussed and disseminated by the Tribunal over time. After completing her PhD, she plans to expand her research to other African transitional justice mechanisms, including those in Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, South Africa, and the East African Community.

Recent publications

Gaynor, L. (2024). 'Please, get me called to The Hague!': The International Criminal Court as History's Soapbox. Journal of International Human Rights, (2024), 1-26.

Gaynor, L. (2024). Law and History After Atrocity: Transitional Justice’s Gordian Knot. In I. Saloul, & B. Baillie (Eds.), The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Cultural Heritage and Conflict Palgrave Macmillan. 

Gaynor, L. (2024, 5 July). Is the ICC Al-Hassan Judgement a Mess or the Future? JusticeInfo. https://www.justiceinfo.net/en/133973-icc-al-hassan-judgement-mess-or-future.html

Van Mourik, A. Gaynor, L. (2024, 6 May). Starvation and Potential ICC Warrants on Gaza: What does International Law Say? JusticeInfo. https://www.justiceinfo.net/en/131620-starvation-potential-icc-warrants-gaza-what-does-international-law-say.html

Gaynor, L. (2024, 29 February). The Wild Reparations Order at the ICC. JusticeInfo. https://www.justiceinfo.net/en/128948-wild-reparations-order-icc.html#:~:text=On%20February%2028%2C%20judges%20at,more%20than%2052%20million%20euros