[Online] Summer law programme on international criminal law & international legal & comparative approaches to counter-terrorism

31 May - 24 June 2022
  • Starts at: 14:30h
  • Organiser: T.M.C. Asser Instituut
  •   Register

Are you interested in international criminal law and (legal aspects of) counter-terrorism? Are you looking for an opportunity to expand your knowledge on these issues? Then register now for the 16th Annual Summer Law Programme on International Criminal Law and International Legal & Comparative Approaches to Counter-Terrorism. This online course is the product of a unique collaboration between the War Crimes Research Office of American University’s Washington College of Law and the T.M.C. Asser Instituut and will take place from 31 May – 24 June 2022.

Selected students from top US law colleges and universities will participate in an online training with internationally renowned legal practitioners and scholars. An additional ten places are available to other interested law students and professionals who wish to learn more about law and counter-terrorism. 

Please note that, due to global time differences, this programme will start daily at 14.30 CET

What will you gain?

  • A thorough insight into the latest developments in (the interplay between) international criminal law and legal aspects of counter-terrorism;
  • The opportunity to engage in discussions and network with leading academics and legal professionals;
  • A unique experience of studying and exchanging views with top students from the US.

Part one: International Criminal Law
In the first two weeks you will explore the past, present and future of international criminal law (ICL). Our programme provides a comprehensive overview of international crimes, criminal responsibility, immunities and amnesties. We will also cover practical matters in international criminal law, such as victim participation and defence issues. You will thoroughly analyse these topics on both the international and national level. During these two weeks, you will have the chance to experience the law in practice, by virtually visiting international and national courts and international organisations.

Topics include among others:

  • Definition and evolution of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide;
  • Victim participation and reparations;
  • State responsibility in international criminal law;
  • Role of the International Criminal Court and other tribunals;
  • Individual criminal and command responsibility;
  • Universal jurisdiction and prosecuting international crimes domestically.

Part two: International Legal & Comparative Approaches to Counter-Terrorism 
Since 9/11 the world is witnessing a large expansion of different approaches and measures to counter-terrorism. The second part of the summer programme focuses on various international legal & comparative approaches to counter-terrorism.

The course will begin by looking into the definitions of terrorism and counter-terrorism, and their evolution since 9/11. You will explore the jus ad bellum and jus in bello in counter-terrorism. We will look at the role of human rights law, including case studies on the use of armed drones and extraordinary renditions.

Other topics include (inter)national prosecution, foreign fighters, the role of intelligence in court, countering violent extremism, and rehabilitation and reintegration. Finally, through virtual study visits, you will experience (legal approaches to) counter-terrorism in practice.

Topics:

  • Jus ad bellum and jus in bello in counter-terrorism;
  • Human rights issues raised in the context of terrorism and counter-terrorism;
  • National and international prosecutions;
  • Foreign terrorist fighters phenomenon.

Speakers:
The course brings together high-profile experts from international criminal courts and tribunals such as the ICC and ICJ, as well as from leading law faculties and relevant ministries.

undefinedCatherine Marchi-Uhel, first Head of the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism to assist in the investigation and prosecution of persons responsible for the most serious crimes under international law committed in the Syrian Arab Republic (IIIM)

Between 2015 and taking up her position as the Head of the IIIM in July 2017, she was the Ombudsperson for the Security Council Committee concerning Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh), Al-Qaida and associated individuals, groups, undertakings and entities. Previously a judge in France, Ms. Marchi-Uhel served in the same capacity with the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo and the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia. She was Senior Legal Officer and Head of Chambers at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and also held legal positions in France’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and with United Nations peacekeeping missions in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in Liberia. 

You can find the programme for the event here.

NB: It is possible to attend only one of the two programmes (International Criminal Law or International Legal & Comparative Approaches to Counter-Terrorism). Should this be the case, please include your preference in the registration form.

For whom?
Students and early-career professionals who are interested in studying international criminal law and/or the legal aspects of counter-terrorism.

After the successful completion of this course, you will receive a certificate of completion from the T.M.C. Asser Instituut.

Fee* 
The full summer programme (25 May - 24 June): €1.065
The part on International Criminal Law (31 May- 10 June): €535
The part on Counter-Terrorism (13 June – 24 June): €535

Speakers from 2021:

  • Judge Pocar, Judge Fausto Pocar, Judge ad hoc at the International Court of Justice (ICJ)
  • Prof. Jørgensen, Professor of Public International Law and Deputy Head of School (Research) within the School of Law at the University of Southampton
  • Eleni Chaitidou, Senior Legal Officer at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers (KSC)
  • Amir Čengić, Legal Officer in the Office of the Legal Advisor at the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
  • Barbara Goy, Senior Appeals Counsel in the Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) of the United Nations International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT)
  • Najwa Nabti, Legal Officer/Appeals Counsel at the MICT
  • Gregory Townsend, Professor of the Practice, Brandeis University
  • Judge Howard Morrison, Former ICC Judge
  • Dr. Fabricio Guariglia, Director of the Prosecution Division, Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court
  • Simon Minks, National Senior Public Prosecutor in the Netherlands
  • Dr. Yasmin Naqvi, Legal Officer in the Immediate Office of the Registrar of the IRMCT
  • Paolina Massidda, Principal Counsel at the Office of Public Counsel for Victims ICC
  • Dr. Bart Schuurman, Associate Professor at Leiden University's Institute of Security and Global Affairs (ISGA)
  • Prof. Kimberly Trapp, Vice Dean (International), and Professor of Public International Law at the Faculty of Laws, UCL
  • Prof. Dr. Tom Ruys, Professor of Public International Law, University of Ghent
  • Dr. Hans Boddens Hosang, Head of International Law at the Ministry of Defense of the Netherlands
  • Joanne Mariner, Interim Director of Law and Policy at Amnesty International
  • Prof. Helen Duffy, Professor of International Human Rights and Humanitarian Law at eh University of Leiden
  • Jessica Dorsey, Assistant Professor of International and European Law at Utrecht University School of Law and Associate Fellow at the International Center for Counter-Terrorism The Hague
  • Jeanne Abdulla, co-founder of Human Security Collective
  • Bibi van Ginkel, Research Fellow at ICCT  founder The GloCal Connection
  • Manuel Ventura, Legal Consultant for the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, Adjunct Fellow at the School of Law at Western Sydney University and external lecturer of international law at The Hague University of Applied Sciences

Virtual study visits from 2021:

Registration and questions
To register for the summer programme, please click here or on the red register button above to fill out the form. Please read the registration terms & conditions carefully before registration. For inquiries on registration and the programme, please contact educationtraining@asser.nl.

Contact
For more information or questions, please contact educationtraining@asser.nl.