News and Events at the War Crimes Research Office
War Crimes Speaker Series - Crisis of Credibility: Trying Khmer Rouge Leaders in Cambodia - Clair Duffy
On Friday, March 2, as part of our War Crimes Speaker Series, Clair Duffy spoke at WCL. Ms. Duffy, Khmer Rouge Tribunal Monitor at the Open Society Justice Initiative, discussed her experiences monitoring the Tribunal, with special focus on the challenges of trying serious international crimes before hybrid courts, made up of national and international elements. Podcast and streaming recordings of the event are available here.
Summer 2012 Dean’s Fellow Opportunities at the WCRO
The War Crimes Research Office (WCRO) is seeking Dean’s Fellows for Summer 2012 for two types of projects. The first group will work on major legal research projects prepared for international criminal courts and tribunals on issues of critical importance to these institutions. The second set of Dean’s Fellows will assist in updating the Jurisprudence Collections and in digesting documents in the Collections involving sexual and gender-based crimes.
JD (2L and 3L) and LL.M students are eligible for these positions. Interested students with a background in public international law, particularly international criminal / humanitarian / human rights law, are especially encouraged to apply, as are those with prior volunteer experience at the WCRO. The time commitment will be a minimum of 20 hours per week. Please submit a résumé and a cover letter, along with a short writing sample and a transcript (unofficial is fine) to Susana SáCouto, Director, War Crimes Research Office, by email at warcrimes@wcl.american.edu. Please indicate in the subject line if you are applying for the ICT Research Dean’s Fellow or the Jurisprudence Collections Dean’s Fellow position.
The application deadline is 5:00pm Monday, March 5. If you have any questions, please feel free to stop by our office at 4301 50th St. NW, Suite 102, call us at 202-274-4067 or e-mail warcrimes@wcl.american.edu
War Crimes Research Office and Women and International Law Program Host Conference on Addressing Sexual and Gender-Based Violence
The War Crimes Research Office (WCRO) and the Women and International Law Program (WILP) hosted a conference with the Royal Netherlands Embassy on February 1, 2012. The conference, entitled Addressing Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in Conflict and Post-Conflict Settings: National and International Strategies, featured a keynote conversation between Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues Melanne Verveer and Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Renée Jones-Bos. For more information, and for links to video recordings of the events, please visit this page.
New WCRO Report Examines Victim Representation at the International Criminal Court
The War Crimes Research Office (WCRO) at American University Washington College of Law recently launched a new report on the International Criminal Court (ICC), entitled Ensuring Effective and Efficient Representation of Victims at the International Criminal Court.
The ICC is frequently lauded for being the first international criminal body to allow victims to participate in proceedings, not just as witnesses for one of the parties, but in their own right. Nevertheless, nearly a decade after the entry into force of the Rome Statute, many questions about the appropriate functioning of the Court’s victim participation scheme remain outstanding, several of which relate to the representation of victims before the Court. Specifically, questions have arisen about:
- the respective roles of the Court’s Victims Participation and Reparations Section and Office of Public Counsel for Victims;
- whether applicants should receive representation prior to a determination on their applications for victim status; when and how victims should be appointed common legal representation;
- whether legal representation should be provided solely by external legal representatives, or whether the Office of Public Counsel for Victims should engage in direct representation of victims.
To varying degrees, these questions have been addressed by different Chambers of the Court in various cases, but have yet to be answered in a definitive manner. The aim of this report – the fifteenth in a series that seeks to analyze and comment on critical issues raised by the decisions of the ICC – is to examine the way in which these questions have been dealt with by the Court to date and to recommend responses to the questions that can be applied with consistency across cases.
A PDF of the full report, along with the others in the series, is available here. Those wishing to comment can find a brief online evaluation here.
December Volunteer Opportunity at the WCRO
The War Crimes Research Office (WCRO) is currently seeking student volunteers to assist with spading two legal research projects. If you are interested in volunteering with us between December 14 and December 21, please contact warcrimes@wcl.american.edu.
Spring 2012 Dean’s Fellow Opportunities at the WCRO
The War Crimes Research Office (WCRO) is seeking Dean’s Fellows for Spring 2012 for two types of projects. The first group will work on major legal research projects prepared for international criminal courts and tribunals on issues of critical importance to these institutions. The second set of Dean’s Fellows will assist in updating the Jurisprudence Collections and in digesting documents in the Collections involving sexual and gender-based crimes.
JD (2L and 3L) and LL.M students are eligible for these positions. Interested students with a background in public international law, particularly international criminal / humanitarian / human rights law, are especially encouraged to apply, as are those with prior volunteer experience at the WCRO. The time commitment will be a minimum of 20 hours per week. Please submit a résumé and a cover letter, along with a short writing sample and a transcript (unofficial is fine) to Susana SáCouto, Director, War Crimes Research Office, by email at warcrimes@wcl.american.edu. Please indicate in the subject line if you are applying for the ICT Research Dean’s Fellow or the Jurisprudence Collections Dean’s Fellow position.
The application deadline is 5:00pm Monday, November 28. If you have any questions, please feel free to stop by our office at 4301 50th St. NW, Suite 102, call us at 202-274-4067 or e-mail warcrimes@wcl.american.edu
War Crimes Speaker Series - Confirmation of Charges at the International Criminal Court: Setting the Stage for Trial
On Monday, November 7, as part of our War Crimes Speaker Series, Håkan Friman will speak at WCL. Mr. Friman, Deputy Director-General at the Swedish Ministry of Justice, Division for Criminal Cases and International Judicial Cooperation, has represented Sweden in negotiations on the International Criminal Court (ICC) since 1996. He will discuss his experiences at the Court, with a particular focus on the confirmation of charges process at the ICC.
The event will be held in room 103 at 12:00 pm, and a light lunch will be served. If you would like to attend, RSVP to warcrimes@wcl.american.edu.
Hague Summer Law Program Information Session
2012 will mark the sixth year for the Summer Law Program in The Hague, which offers students the opportunity to live and learn at the heart of the international justice community. We will be holding an information session for the 2012 program at 12:00-1:00 Friday, November 11, in room 100 at WCL. We’ll discuss the program and a few former students will talk about their experience. We’ll also answer any questions you have about the application process, the courses, and living in The Hague. Lunch will be served.
If you’re interested in attending the information session, please RSVP to warcrimes@wcl.american.edu.
