List of special tribunals and courts explained

This is a list of special or exceptional tribunals and courts for the trying of people.^[1] Sometimes, courts that do not try people but curtail political freedoms are also derogatorily called "special tribunals,"^[2] as well as courts that establish a privileged jurisdiction for powerful individuals or the government.^[3] List coverage is through history and worldwide.

• Tribunal del Santo Oficio de la Inquisición (Spanish Empire, 1478–1834)
• Tribunal do Santo Ofício da Inquisição (Portuguese Empire, 1536–1821)
• Suprema Congregatio Sanctae Romanae et Universalis Inquisitionis (Papal States, 1542–1860)
• Revolutionary Tribunal (France, 1792–1795)
• Exchequer Court of Canada (Canada, 1875–1971)
• Canadian Human Rights Commission (Canada, 1977–)
• Special Tribunal for the Defense of the State (Italy, 1926–1943)
• (Portugal, 1932–1945)
• Sondergerichte (Germany, 1933–1945)
• People's Court (Germany) (Germany, 1934–1945)
• Special Tribunal for the Defense of the RSI State (Italy, 1943–1945)
• Tribunais Plenários (Portugal, 1945–1974)
• International Military Tribunal (Nuremberg, occupied Germany, 1945–1946)
• International Military Tribunal for the Far East (Tokyo, occupied Japan, 1946–1948)
• Court of Parties (Egypt, 1977–)
• Tribunal de Orden Público (Spain, 1963–1977)
• Audiencia Nacional of Spain (Spain, 1977–)
• International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (The Hague, Netherlands, 1993–2017)
• International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (Tanzania, 1994–2015)
• Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (Cambodja, 1997–2002)
• Special Court for Sierra Leone (Sierra Leone, 2002–2013)
• International Criminal Court (The Hague, Netherlands, 2002–)
• Iraqi Special Tribunal (Iraq, 2003–)
• Special Tribunal for Lebanon (2009–)
• International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (Tanzania and the Netherlands, 2010–)
• Special international tribunal for the crime of aggression (Russian invasion of Ukraine) (proposed, 2023)

See also

• International courts
• Political trial
• Show trial
• List of ad hoc international criminal courts
• List of impeachments of heads of state
• List of truth and reconciliation commissions
• Extraordinary courts
• Specialized courts
• A. V. Dicey's principle that people should not be judged by special courts.^[1]

Notes and References

1. Laughland, John A history of political trials: from Charles I to Saddam Hussein, p.242
2. Nathalie Bernard-Maugiron (2008) Judges and political reform in Egypt p.221
3. Ian Bushnell The Federal Court of Canada: a history, 1875–1992, p.67