The International Criminal Court: Challenges for the Future

1. The International Criminal Court:Challenges for the Future Steven Freeland University of Western Sydney University of Copenhagen Visiting Professional, The International Criminal Court

2. International Criminal Law • Accountability for crimes that ‘shock the conscience of the world’ • gross violations of human rights • but …. need for specific definition • Crimes within mandate of the International Criminal Court: • Genocide • intention to destroy all or part of a national, ethnic, racial or religious group, as such • Crimes Against Humanity • widespread or systematic attack on any civilian population • War Crimes • breach of Geneva Conventions / laws and customs of armed conflict • (Aggression) – to be defined • Other Crimes?

3. Dealing with International Crimes • International Military Tribunals • Nuremberg / Tokyo • Ad Hoc Tribunals established by United Nations Security Council • ICTY / ICTR • ‘Hybrid’ / ‘Internationalized’ Courts established by Agreement between the UN and the relevant country • Sierra Leone / Cambodia / East Timor / Lebanon • Permanent Court established by Treaty • International Criminal Court

4. Dealing with International Crimes(continued) • Regional Human Rights Courts • ECHR / ACHR / IACHR • National Courts • Iraqi Special Tribunal / Indonesian Human Rights Court / Lockerbie / Eichmann / Pinochet • Local ‘Courts’ • Gacaca community justice (Rwanda) • (Truth and) Reconciliation Commissions • South Africa / Sierra Leone / Bosnia / Latin American Countries • Amnesties / Nothing – Peace v Justice dilemma • Haiti / Uganda (Idi Amin) / Uganda (LRA)? / Darfur?

5. The ICC - (current) Cases and Situations • The Democratic Republic of Congo • The Prosecutor v. Thomas Lubanga Dyilo  • The Prosecutor v. Bosco Ntaganda • The Prosecutor v. Germain Katanga and Mathieu Ngudjolo Chui • The Republic of Uganda • The Prosecutor v. Joseph Kony, Vincent Otti, Okot Odhiambo and Dominic Ongwen   • Darfur, Sudan • The Prosecutor v. Ahmad Muhammad Harun (‘Ahmad Harun’) and Ali Muhammad Al Abd-Al-Rahman (‘Ali Kushayb’)  • (arrest warrant requested against Omar Hassan al-Bashir) • The Central African Republic • The Prosecutor v. Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo   • Cote d’Ivoire • Other investigations

6. The International Criminal Court:Challenges for the Future • Structural Challenges include: • building a new institution • lessons from the other international criminal tribunals • harmonization of multicultural work practices and expectations • demarcation of responsibilities within the divisions of the Court • continuity of expertise and work practices

7. The International Criminal Court:Challenges for the Future • Legal Challenges include: • the legality of the Court • meaning / operation of ‘complementarity’ • ambiguities in the Legal Texts • case and trial management • the rights of the accused • resources of counsel for accused • the rights of victims • the status of the Victims’ Trust Fund • harmonization of legal principles (ICTY / ICJ, common law / civil law etc)

8. The International Criminal Court:Challenges for the Future • Political Challenges include: • the need for cooperation by States • peace v justice concerns • the attitude of the major powers • relationship between Court and UNSC • Agreement on Privileges and Immunities • Bilateral Immunity Agreements • additional discrete crimes within the mandate of the Court

9. The International Criminal Court:Challenges for the Future • Practical Challenges include: • the obtaining of evidence • how to execute arrest warrants • the need for accurate information

10. The International Criminal Court:Challenges for the Future • Financial Challenges include: • oversight by the ASP • annual budgets • ‘how much justice are we prepared to pay for?’