By Mohammed Subhan Hussain The Paraguayan parliament has accepted the implementation bill of the International Criminal Court (ICC), hoping that this will reinvigorate justice-centric advancements in domestic legislation. The bill was endorsed on 16th August 2017 after a lengthy process in the two chambers of Parliament and extensive deliberation from civil society. By including Rome… Read more »
‘Offences against the administration of justice and fair trial considerations before the International Criminal Court’ is the latest Discussion Paper from the IBA’s ICC & ICL Programme. This Discussion Paper seeks to provide the basis for a policy-level discussion on how the International Criminal Court (ICC) implements its jurisdiction over ‘offences against the administration of… Read more »
On 9th August 2017 the lower chamber of Parliament in Burundi, the National Assembly, adopted the bill on the setting up of the National Observatory for the Prevention and Eradication of Genocide, War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity. The observatory is responsible for monitoring the development of Burundian society from the perspectives of genocide, war… Read more »
By Harriet Page Periodically, ARC reviews the jurisprudence of the African Court of Human and Peoples’ Rights. In respect of Application No 006/2013, Wilfred Onyango Nganyi & 9 Others v United Republic of Tanzania, the following case summary has been prepared by Harriet Page on behalf of ARC. Application The Application was filed on… Read more »
On 17th August 2017, the International Criminal Court issued a Reparations Order to Ahmad Al Faqi Al Mahdi (pictured), a Malian Islamist, who attacked religious and historic buildings in Timbuktu during 2012. The case is viewed as significant as it is the first ICC case addressing the destruction of monuments as a war crime. Trial… Read more »
By Mohammed Subhan Hussain The case relating to the capture of al-Bashir as well as the potential withdrawal of South Africa from the International Criminal Court represent serious challenges to the ICC. The South African government declared its withdrawal from the ICC on 19th October 2016. Nevertheless when tested in court, the judgment of the… Read more »
The ICC has issued its first arrest warrant based entirely on evidence collected from social media. The warrant was issued against Mahmoud Mustafa Busayf Al-Werfalli, an alleged commander within the Al-Saiqa Brigade in Libya, who is accused of having committed or ordered 33 murders in Benghazi or surrounding areas in June 2016 and July 2017…. Read more »
Dear members of the War Crimes Committee, We hope you will be able to join us at the IBA Annual Conference in Sydney on 8-13 October 2017. We have an exciting programme of sessions and activities planned for the conference and we would like to take this opportunity to remind you about our programme and… Read more »
The proliferation of the use of drones by states and armed groups to deliver lethal force, and the complications that this new development poses to the application of international law, are of mounting concern to the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI). This has led to the Council of the IBAHRI adopting a Resolution… Read more »
On 30th June 2017, Jens Dieckmann, international criminal lawyer and Associate Member of 9 Bedford Row International, was re-elected as a member of the Executive Council of the ICCBA (International Criminal Court Bar Association). Furthermore Jens was also elected as part of the Victims Committee. On 7th… Read more »
The IBA has launched the first two chapters of the Online Handbook for Lawyers on Business and Human Rights. The IBA’s Legal Policy and Research Unit (LPRU), based in the IBA’s London office, has produced the Handbook as an online self-learning tool. This resource aims to assist lawyers who seek to integrate business and human… Read more »
On Monday 3rd of July, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, appointed ex-Judge Catherine Marchi-Uhel to lead a new UN team that has been set up to investigate serious crimes which have taken place in Syria. Originating in December 2016, the team is being called the International Impartial and Independent Mechanism. The aim… Read more »
On Thursday, Judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC) confirmed that South Africa’s government failed to meet with the obligations of the Rome Statute by failing to detain Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir during a visit he made to the country in 2015. Al-Bashir ifaces charges from the ICC in relation to crimes he is alleged… Read more »
This blog post contains a series of links that examine the nature of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers (KSC) and the applicable Rules of Procedure and Evidence (RPE). The KSC is an amalgamated group of international chambers that has been created to investigate and try various offences committed… Read more »
A memo has been released by the Judicial College aiming to outline some key points on the position of English law, UK courts and UK legal services that are worth baring in mind when discussing these factors with the international business community in light of Britain’s departure from the European Union. Click below to read a… Read more »
Today the Prosecution will open the first full retrial in the history of international criminal law. In 2013, Jovića Stanišić and Franko Simatović were acquitted on all counts in the indictment in their trial before the International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia. In 2015, the Appeals Chamber reversed their acquittals having found errors of law which,… Read more »
At the 45th session of the African Court on Human and Peoples Rights (AfCHPR), the Court delivered a judgment against the Kenyan government in a long-standing case brought before it by the Ogiek Indigenous Peoples. The case was filed by the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights. The AfCHPR… Read more »
Written by Lennart Poulsen Recent political wrangling among Middle Eastern states has reached a full-blown diplomatic crisis with several states, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the UAE severing ties with Qatar. According to a recent CNN report, Qatari nationals are now officially on notice to leave… Read more »
On Friday, May 26th the African Court of Human and Peoples’ Rights (AfCHPR) delivered its judgment on the following case: African Commission V Republic of Kenya. The delivery took place in front of public spectators at the Kibo Hall, the AfCHPR premises at the Tanzania National Parks building. Click below… Read more »
Steven Kay QC of 9 Bedford Row is chairing a session at the IBA Annual Conference in Sydney, Australia titled “Extrajudicial Killings” on Monday 9 October 2017 for the IBA War Crimes Committee. This session will include expert evidence from the UN special Rapporteur, ICRC and International Prosecution counsel Alison Cole (ex-ICTY, ICTR and UN… Read more »
