---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In our tribunal, we look only at personal…"
description: "\"“In our tribunal, we look only at personal criminal responsibility in a very tightly defined, narrow way and we demand proof beyond a resonable doubt a..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcc/erna-paris-64575_accountability_in-our-tribunal-we-look-only-at-personal_842173.jpg"
---

#  In our tribunal, we look only at personal criminal…

![“In our tribunal, we look only at personal criminal responsibility in a very tightly defined, narrow way and we demand proof beyond a resonable doubt about the involvement of the individual. We do no have a mandate to establish the moral responsibility of those who saw things happen and did…” quote by Erna Paris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcc/erna-paris-64575_accountability_in-our-tribunal-we-look-only-at-personal_842173.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcc/erna-paris-64575_accountability_in-our-tribunal-we-look-only-at-personal_842173.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcc/erna-paris-64575_accountability_in-our-tribunal-we-look-only-at-personal_842173.jpg)

> ““In our tribunal, we look only at personal criminal responsibility in a very tightly defined, narrow way and we demand proof beyond a resonable doubt about the involvement of the individual. We do no have a mandate to establish the moral responsibility of those who saw things happen and did nothing, including people who might have had the capacity to stop the process and did nothing. But we have to be careful in thinking that just because we focus on individual criminal guilt we therefore absolve the community. The old distinctions are too simplistic when we move up the chain of command and witness the merging of the collectivity into the personae of these charismatic political and military leaders.' -Louise Arbour, Chief Prosecutor for International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia””

[Erna Paris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erna-paris/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Legal focus on individual guilt can overlook collective moral responsibility.

**In simple terms:** Law often targets individuals, ignoring group culpability.

Key Takeaway

Consider both individual and collective accountability.

Themes

law morality collective responsibility justice

Mood

analytical critical

Type

legal philosophical

When to use this quote

- court trials
- human rights investigations
- policy making
- military command structures

Key Concepts

Legal theory ethical responsibility

Questions to Reflect On

- How can legal systems address collective wrongdoing?
- What safeguards prevent moral disengagement?

A Different Perspective

Proving collective guilt is legally complex.

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[Accountability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accountability/) [Chain of command](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chain-of-command/) [Criminal Guilt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criminal-guilt-655141/) [Criminal Responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criminal-responsibility-655138/) [Criminal Tribunal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criminal-tribunal-655143/) [Ethics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ethics/) [Individual Criminal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual-criminal-655139/) [International Criminal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/international-criminal-655145/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Military Leaders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/military-leaders/) [Moral responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral-responsibility/) [Responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsibility/) [Things happen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-happen/)

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