Seeking justice - UWL law students visit international courts in The Hague
Intro
Philip Ells, Head of UWL’s School of Law, and Senior Lecturer Michael Derks accompanied 11 law students on a three-day visit to the Netherlands last month.
Article body
After an early flight, they arrived in Amsterdam on a Sunday and walked around the historic city, taking in its concentric canals, museums and striking 17th century mixed with ultra-modern architecture.
On the Monday, the group travelled to The Hague, home of the International Criminal Court as well as the Peace Palace, which houses the world’s oldest institution for settling international disputes, the Permanent Court of Arbitration, and the United Nations’ highest judicial body, the International Court of Justice.
At the International Criminal Court (ICC), the students heard about some of the political issues involved in seeking justice against alleged perpetrators of crimes against humanity, genocide, war crimes and crimes of aggression. They also explored the protection afforded to both judges and witnesses, and the processes engaged from issue of arrest warrant to appeal against conviction.
The group then attended the Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) established by an agreement between the United Nations and the Government of Sierra Leone. Here they heard from the Prosecution and Legal/Evidence Adviser about the complex history of the region. They discovered the reasons for its civil war, the vast array of personnel engaged in the court’s creation and the successful prosecution of perpetrators of crimes.
On the final day, students attended a talk at the International Court of Justice, often known as the World Court. It hears cases brought by one nation state against another to determine international disputes and has the power to issue advisory opinions as well as judgements following trial.
This was a unique opportunity for students to learn about the work of these highly specialised, international courts from court staff and prosecutors,”
says Philip Ells.
It enabled them to put their own studies into perspective and to be informed of the possibilities of international work in the future and of internships offered by the ICC.”
Gabriela Sanz, a student on the new LLB (Hons) at Ruskin College who went on the trip, says,
Thank you so much for this amazing experience. It was fun! I'm so happy to be part of UWL.”
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