1st Meeting of International Expert Framework on International Criminal Procedure
On 23 and 24 January 2009 HiiL and the Amsterdam Center for the International Law (ACIL) of the University of Amsterdam hosted the First Meeting of the International Expert Framework on International Criminal Procedure at the Novotel The Hague City Centre.
The International Expert Framework is a group of pre-eminent scholars and seasoned practitioners in the area of international criminal procedure which has been charged with the task of carrying out the research within a HiiL and ACIL joint project: 'Towards the Codification of General Rules and Principles of International Criminal Procedure'.
The Meeting was opened by HiiL's Deputy Director Dr. David Raic, who reflected on the importance of the project and its place within the HiiL's vision and mission. The members of the Steering Board of the research project: Prof. Göran Sluiter (University of Amsterdam), Prof. Håkan Friman (University College London), Associate Prof. Suzannah Linton (University of Hong Kong) and Prof. Salvatore Zappalà (University of Catania) were presented.
The focus of this First Meeting was on the scope, organisation and prospective progress of the research project. On Friday 23 January a short introduction by Prof. Göran Sluiter was followed by the presentation of reports and outlines prepared in advance by each of the eleven Working Groups - each responsible for a particular domain of the law of international criminal procedure. The issues of work planning and distribution, and of the exact scope of research of each group were raised. Next, an animated discussion focused on research objectives and methodology. It was stressed that the project should combine a positive task of identifying general rules and principles of international criminal procedure with critical evaluation of such rules and possible recommendations when needed. Further, the publication perspectives were presented by Dr. Wilhelm Warth - a representative from Beck Verlag publisher. Beck Verlag is a leading publishing house which agreed to publish the book which will emerge as an end-result of the project. The first day session was concluded by Prof. Salvatore Zappalà who expressed enthusiasm about the group's ability to reach agreement on various issues in the complex and challenging exercise it has embarked on.
On Saturday 24 January the meeting, chaired by Prof. Håkan Friman, continued with an exchange of views on various issues including, among other things, the definition of boundaries of international criminal procedure and the expected audience of the project. It was noted that, in line with HiiL's mandate, results of the project should benefit not only international tribunals but also be of assistance to national courts, for example, deciding in the war crimes cases. Subsequently, the next steps and expected progress were also agreed upon. The meeting was adjourned till the next Expert Meeting scheduled for June 2009.
The research project 'Towards Codification of General Rules and Principles of International Criminal Procedure' aims to elaborate a set of general rules on and principles of international criminal procedure with a further perspective of crystallizing them into a Model Code of International Criminal Procedure.
More information about the project can be found at the project website: www.icp-ef.org