Foreword -- Introduction -- List of Abbreviations -- Presentation -- Chapter 1 French Democracy and Justice -- Historical Evolution -- A history of wars and massacres -- Towards democracy and the rule of law -- International Conventions and French Laws -- International human rights and humanitarian conventions -- French criminal laws -- Amnesties -- French Justice -- Judicial principles and structure under the 1958 Constitution -- Military tribunals -- Justice and politics under the Fifth Republic -- National defence secrecy: an obstruction to justice -- Imperfect Democracy and Justice -- Judgments of the European Court of Human Rights -- The United Nations Committee against Torture -- The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment -- The quasi-impunity of police officers -- The Impunity of French Presidents -- The Irish 'Terrorists' of Vincennes -- The wiretapping scandal -- The Rainbow Warrior Affair -- Universal Jurisdiction or Realpolitik -- France and Algeria -- Massacres at the Beach (Brazzaville, Congo) -- Conclusion -- PART I FRENCH COLONIZATION AND JUSTICE (1830-1962) -- Chapter 2 French Colonialism -- Conquests and Losses -- Early ventures -- Colonial expansion -- Loss of the colonies -- Colonial Policies -- Slavery -- French colonial policy -- Legal status of the 'natives' -- The colonizers' motivations -- Political parties -- Christian Churches -- Public opinion -- The lonely voices of anti-colonialism -- The Winds of History -- Conclusion -- Chapter 3 The French Vietnam War (1946-1954) -- Conquest and Loss of Indochina -- The Attitude of French Political Leaders -- Abuses and Crimes Denounced -- Andrée Viollis' book -- The French League of Human Rights -- French periodicals -- Three Trials -- Henri Martin -- Jeanne Bergé -- Georges Boudarel -- Conclusion.

Chapter 4 Madagascar: Revolt and Repression 1947-1948 -- Brief Historical Notes -- The Rebellion -- The Repression -- Factors which Led to the Rebellion -- The Trials -- Conclusion -- Chapter 5 French Algeria: The 'Dirty War' (1954-1962) -- Brief Historical Notes -- French law in Algeria -- Justice in Algeria -- Breaches of due process -- Hiding War Crimes and Torture -- Official instructions and reports -- Reports of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) -- Protests Against Torture -- Political parties -- The French 'League of Human Rights' -- A few journalists and intellectuals -- Christian protests -- Supporters of the FLN -- 'Manifeste des 121' -- The Jeanson trial -- The Algerian War Revisited -- The trial of General Aussaresse -- The trials of General Schmitt -- Recent political response -- Death squadrons: the French school -- Conclusion -- PART II VICHY FRANCE THE LATE RECKONING (1940-2004) -- Chapter 6 Vichy's Regime, Legislation and Justice -- Leading to Vichy: The Political Process -- The Vichy Regime -- Constitutional acts -- The nature of the regime -- Anti-Jewish laws -- French people's attitudes on Vichy's antisemitism -- The Churches -- Vichy Justice -- The trial of Pierre Mendès France -- The Riom trial -- Special sections -- Conclusion -- Chapter 7 Post-Liberation Myth, Purge and Trials -- The Gaullist Myth -- Post-Liberation Laws and Courts -- The Purges (l'Épuration) -- Extra-legal purge -- Judiciary purge -- Purge of the French civil service -- Other purges -- Selected Trials -- The trial of a Vichy minister: Pierre Pucheu -- The Trial of Marshall Pétain -- The trial of Pierre Laval -- Conclusion -- Chapter 8 From Barbie to Papon -- Amnesties and Amnesia -- The amnesties -- A long amnesia -- The return of Vichy's memories -- The Trials -- The trial of Klaus Barbie -- The trial of Paul Touvier.

The aborted trial of René Bousquet -- The trial of Maurice Papon -- Conclusion -- PART III International Criminal Tribunals and Commissions (1945-2005) -- Chapter 9 The Nuremberg and Tokyo Tribunals -- The Nuremberg Trial -- The origins -- Negotiating the London Agreement -- The Nuremberg Charter -- The proceedings -- The French prosecutors' presentations -- The judges' deliberations -- The judgments -- Donnedieu de Vabres' later views -- The Tokyo Trial -- The establishment of the Tokyo Tribunal -- The indictment and the proceedings -- The judgment -- France and the Tokyo Tribunal -- The French prosecution -- The French indictment -- Judge Bernard's views on the Tribunal's jurisdiction -- Judge Bernard's Dissenting Judgment -- Conclusion -- Chapter 10 The Genocide in Rwanda -- The Genocide -- The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda -- Creation of the Tribunal -- Mandate and structure -- The Tribunal's achievements -- Belgium's Parliamentary Inquiry Commission -- The French Parliamentary Information Mission -- The UN Carlsson Commission -- The OAU Report -- Challenges to the Official Position of France -- France-Rwanda relationships -- Charges against the French army -- Conclusion -- Chapter 11 Crimes in the Former Yugoslavia -- The International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia -- Creation of the Tribunal -- Mandate and structure -- Staffing -- The Tribunal's achievements -- France's attitude towards the Tribunal -- The Srebrenica Massacre -- Events leading to Srebrenica -- The United Nations report -- Report of the French Parliamentary Mission -- The Dutch Reports -- Conclusion -- Chapter 12 The International Criminal Court -- The origins of the ICC -- France's Initial Ambivalence -- The Statute of the Court (A Summary) -- France's Cooperation with the Court -- The US Position -- Conclusion -- Chapter 13 Conclusion.

Vichy's Memories -- Colonialism and Neo-Colonialism -- More Independent Judges -- The Fragility of Democracies -- The Governance of France -- Other counter-powers -- Conclusion -- Index.