Practices, e-learning and tools

This month:

1. State practices for investigating and prosecuting core international crimes
2. Monitoring atrocity crimes trials
3. Training modules on International Humanitarian Law
4. Useful apps

State-practices for investigating and prosecuting core international crimes

Universal jurisdiction allows for the prosecution of crimes regardless of where such crimes were committed, and irrespective of the nationality of the victims or of the perpetrators. National approaches however, differ widely.

Currently, the Open Society Justice Initiative and Trial International are releasing reports on universal jurisdiction law and practice in eight countries: France, Germany, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Norway, Finland, Canada (soon to be released) and Sweden (soon to be released).

The reports have been crosss-checked with the competent authorities in the respective countries and focus on each country’s particular approach and legislation and aim to support lawyers and victims in the respective countries.

Monitoring atrocity crimes trials

The Open Society Justice initiative has released A Guide on Monitoring Atrocity Crimes Trials. This guide is intended for non-governmental organizations (NGOs), journalists, and other individuals who are monitoring atrocity crimes. This is important for reasons such as providing information to victims, creating a historical record, helping to address past wrongs, personal experiences. The report covers:

1. the initial phase: creating a trial monitoring program, the purpose of monitoring, the decing upon the audiences, forming your team;
2. the basics: key tasks, what to cover, how to interact with a court;
3. communicating: structuring and disseminating your work;
4. examples and resources;
5. basic information on international criminal law.

E-learning

Gather4Humanity has identified various opportunnities to start online courses on International Humanitarian/Criminal Law. The following modules might be of interest:

Coursera

Coursera provides the opportunnity to follow the following online and free courses:

• International Humanitarian Law in Theory and Practice
• International Law in Action: Investigating and Prosecuting International Crimes
• Introduction to International Criminal Law
• International Law in Action: A Guide tot he International Courts and Tribunals in The Hague

ICRC

The ICRC offers trainings as well as pedagogical resources and teaching tools.

• Introduction to International Humanitarian Law
• Advanced IHL Learning Series: 1 – IHL and humanitarian principles, 2 – Use of explosive weapons in populated areas, 3 – Recent developments in the interplay between IHL and IHRL, 4 – Counterterrorism, IHL and humanitarian action, 5 – Creating and Teaching an IHL Course, 6 – Conduct of hostilities: Challenges in today’s armed conflicts

Humanitarian Leadership Academy

• International criminal law and its role in addressing violations of IHL
• Introduction to International Humanitarian Law (IHL)
• The Fundamental Principles of IHL Regulating Hostilities: military necessity, distinction, and proportionality
• IHL and Core Humanitarian Principles
• The strike at Kunduz – an IHL analysis
• International humanitarian law and human rights law in armed conflict
• International Humanitarian Law and UN Peacekeeping Operations
• Legal foundations for humanitarian access in situations of armed conflict
• Protection of cultural heritage in armed conflict
• Qualification of Armed Conflict and Determining the Applicable Law
• Intoduction to IHL and its relevance for humanitarian actors
• The ICC and humanitarian actors

Useful apps

Organisations start to adept the “mobile first” approach. As a result, practical mobile tools are developed for practitioners of International Humanitarian/Criminal Law. The first initiatives for such practical tools have been launched:

• Eyewitness to atrocity: provides a way to capture photos/videos that are verifiable and can be used to investigate and prosecute individuals who commit atrocity crimes.
• GRC-BIS: places key principles and international standards for collecting, preserving and handling evidence relating to violations of international humanitarian and human rights laws in an easily accessible format. In addition, it includes an interactive function that will enable users to contact GRC, a specialist team of international lawyers, to obtain on-the-spot advice and answers to FAQs concerning international justice and accountability.
• IHL-International Humanitarian Law app: comes in 6 languages and provides offline access to 80 treaties and other documents relating to international humanitarian law (IHL) and the rules of customary IHL.