From East West Street to the Anthropocene: Law Against Violence and Destruction

How can the law respond to mass violence and the gravest crimes? The question is an old one—but in light of today’s wars, it is being asked with renewed urgency. This year’s recipient of the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade, the British-French lawyer, human rights barrister and author Philippe Sands, offers some answers. The prize recognises Sands as an important voice for justice, peace and the defence of international law.

In his books—most notably the celebrated East West Street trilogy—Sands explores the origins of modern international criminal law; legal concepts such as “genocide” and “crimes against humanity”; immunity and human rights; and questions of colonialism. He brings together issues of international criminal law, painstaking historical research and personal stories. In his new book, due to be published in spring 2027, he turns to “ecocide”: the question of how the law can respond to the most severe destruction of ecosystems and the natural foundations of life, whether caused by warfare, industrial extractivism or the escalating climate crisis. This also raises the question of whether and how such forms of destruction can be recognised as international crimes and prosecuted under international criminal law.

At the Frankfurt Book Fair, Philippe Sands will speak with peace researcher and historian Hendrik Simon about the history, present and future of international law, ecocide, and the role the law can play in a world shaped by mass violence and global destruction—from East West Street to the Anthropocene.

A joint event organised by the Frankfurt Book Fair, the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade, the Research Institute Social Cohesion (FGZ) at Goethe University Frankfurt, and the Peace Research Institute Frankfurt (PRIF).