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Symposium examines new international criminal court

February 27, 2003

Ten days before leading authorities in international criminal and humanitarian law convene in The Hague to inaugurate the historic and revolutionary International Criminal Court, they will be convening in Madison at the UW Law School.

“The International Criminal Court: Challenges and Opportunities Ahead” will be the topic of the Wisconsin International Law Journal’s annual symposium, Saturday, March 1. The symposium, which is free and open to the public, will take place in Godfrey & Kahn Hall (Room 2260) of the University of Wisconsin Law School from 1-5:30 p.m.

The International Criminal Court entered into force on July 1, 2002 and has jurisdiction over crimes against humanity, genocide and war crimes. The court’s first bench of 18 judges was elected on Feb. 7, 2003. To date, 139 countries are signatories to the Rome Statute establishing the court, and 89 countries are ratified members. The most recent country to ratify the statute is Afghanistan, against strong opposition from the United States. On Tuesday, March 11, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands will preside over a ceremony in The Hague inaugurating the International Criminal Court and swearing in its first bench of judges.

The UW symposium will examine the idea, born out of the ruins of World War II and amid cries of “never again,” of creating a permanent court to try individuals accused of such heinous international crimes as genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. Included will be a discussion of whether the court will provide a genuine deterrent for future crimes that “shock the conscience of mankind.”

A panel will further examine the many legal issues surrounding the controversial International Criminal Court.

The symposium speakers are among the nation’s leading scholars in international criminal and humanitarian law:

  • David Scheffer, former U.S. Ambassador at Large for War Crimes Issues and present senior vice president for the United Nations Association. Ambassador Scheffer signed the Rome Statute on behalf of the United States in the waning hours of the Clinton Administration.
  • Patricia M. Wald, judge on the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (1999-2001) and retired judge of the U.S. District Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. She wrote the first judgment to overturn a conviction by the International Criminal Tribunal of the former Yugoslavia.
  • Beth Stephens, associate professor of law at the Rutgers-Camden School of Law and cooperating attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights. She litigates international human rights claims in U.S. federal courts, including complaints against the U.S. government for the treatment of detainees since September 11, 2001.
  • Diane F. Orentlicher, professor of international law for the Washington College of Law at American University. She is known as a leading authority on human rights law and war crimes tribunals. She formerly directed American University’s War Crimes Research Office and has worked to link evidence of crimes against humanity to the living former Khmer Rouge leaders of Cambodia.
  • Leila Nadya Sadat, professor of law at the Washington University School of Law and a commissioner with the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. She is a leading scholar of international and comparative law, known for her scholarship on the International Criminal Court. Her work has been cited by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.