On Thursday 15th September, Fatou Bensouda, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), published a detailed policy document providing guidance on how her office will prioritise the selection of cases. The document reveals that the OTP is likely to expand its remit to include cases that involve environmental destruction. This means that governments and… Read more »
‘Evidence Matters in ICC Trials’ is the latest report of the IBA’s ICC and ICL Programme as part of the thematic series IBA ICL Perspectives. This series presents the Programme’s views on developments in international criminal law that have a particular impact on fair trial standards. In this report, the IBA addresses the existence and… Read more »
On 30 August 2016, the Presidency of the International Criminal Court (ICC) made public an important decision re-affirming the Court’s positive obligation to provide an effective right to family visits for ICC detainees, including by providing funding for such visits. In the same decision, the Presidency expressed concern that the Trust Fund for Family Visits… Read more »
Barristers experience a variety of mental and physical health pressures in practice, particularly in dealing with the severe stresses created by litigation. Gray’s Inn is keen to support initiatives to address the prevailing (but dated) view that those who seek assistance in such situations are not “up to the job”. A Member of Gray’s, Gillian… Read more »
Lawyer and Associate Member of 9 Bedford Row International, Jens Dieckmann, has been invited by the International Nuremberg Principles Academy to give a lecture on “Modes of Liability in International Criminal Law”. The event will take place on 4 August 2016 in Nuremberg. The participants of… Read more »
David Hooper QC of 25 Bedford Row, and President of the recently formed International Criminal Court Bar Association (ICCBA) has defended the new group against criticism it has received from several bar associations. The ICCBA was founded in order to represent counsel and support staff working at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague…. Read more »
Lawyer and Associate Member of 9 Bedford Row International, Jens Dieckmann, has been invited by the Ukrainian Human Rights NGO ‘Center for Civil Liberites’ to participate in a high-level roundtable discussion on the “Implementation of International Humanitarian Law and the Rome Statute of the ICC… Read more »
This year, the Day of International Criminal Justice (17th July 2016) is set to commemorate the 18th anniversary since the adoption of the Rome Statute on 17th July 1998. The Rome Statute is the founding treaty of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which seeks to deter people from committing genocide, crimes against humanity and war… Read more »
On 30th June 2016, the International Criminal Court Bar Association (ICCBA) held its Constitutional Congress in The Hague at the International Criminal Court (ICC). The amended Constitution has been adopted by 97.5% support of the voting members. The following day (1st July), the ICCBA held its 1st General Assembly, also at the ICC. Mr. Jens… Read more »
On Wednesday 8th June the International Bar Association (IBA) Hague Office organized an event that was a Roundtable Discussion on Trials in absentia in international criminal justice. Over 130 delegates were in attendance. The event consisted of a keynote presentation by Judge Ivana Hrdličková, the President of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), which was… Read more »
Yesterday (June 21st) it was announced that Jean-Pierre Bemba, Congolese ex-rebel leader, has been jailed for 18 years following a conviction at the International Criminal Court (ICC), in The Hague, for war crimes and sexual violence. The conviction is the first time that the ICC… Read more »
Robert Murtfeld organised a dignified remembrance event in honour of John Jones QC in New York on 2 June 2016. John sadly died last month and Robert who had worked with John at the ICC on the Saif Gaddaffi case, organised this event to honour a great lawyer who was a dear friend to us… Read more »
The former ruler of Chad, Hissene Habre, has been convicted of crimes against humanity and sentenced to life imprisonment. The convictions include rape, sexual slavery and ordering the killings of 40,000 people during the course of his rule, which lasted for eight years from 1982 – 1990. The landmark trial took place in Senegal and… Read more »
by Gillian Higgins and Steven Kay QC On 12th May 2016, 55 of the 81 members of the Senate voted to put President Rousseff on trial before the Senate on charges alleging the breaking of budgetary laws during her tenure as President. After being officially notified, Dilma Rousseff was suspended, ending 13 years of rule… Read more »
Over the course of one week in June (13th – 18th) there is a series of evening seminars being held at the UN International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia which will be followed by a full day mock trial scheduled for Saturday 18th that all attendees can participate in. The seminars will be conducted… Read more »
Today, Simone Gbagbo (pictured) is set to go on trial on charges of crimes against humanity relating to the 2010-2011 post-election violence committed in the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has specifically charged her with allegedly committing acts of murder, rape and persecution, among other inhuman offences. The trial is taking… Read more »
70 years after the judgment at Nuremberg – has the US failed to support international justice at the ICC? Steven Kay QC of 9 Bedford Row International is to take part in a mock trial prosecution of the issue concerning the US not joining the International Criminal Court. The trial will enable both the pro-ICC… Read more »
Situation: Central African Republic On Friday, 29th April 2016, Trial Chamber VII of the International Criminal Court closed the submission of evidence in the case The Prosecutor v. Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo, Aimé Kilolo Musamba, Jean-Jacques Mangenda Kabongo, Fidèle Babala Wandu and Narcisse Arido and scheduled the trial’s closing oral statements to start on Tuesday 31st… Read more »
Three months after the Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda partially granted his appeal against sentence, the President of the Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals has ordered the release of Alphonse Nteziryayo, who for a time held the position of Préfet of Butare, Rwanda, during the 1994 conflict. His release was ordered… Read more »
By Margaret Owen, reporting from Turkey In Istanbul on Friday 22nd April, by mid-morning, thousands of people had gathered in the square outside the courthouse, the largest in the world, carrying banners and pictures of the 4 imprisoned academics, and bearing slogans demanding freedom of… Read more »
