iloubnan - Representatives of the STL take part in Lebanon’s first international criminal justice conference - May 30, 2011

Representatives of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) have participated in a major conference on international criminal justice, organized in Beirut by two Lebanese NGOs – the Scientific Association for the Dissemination of Legal Culture in the Arab World and Justice without Frontiers – in cooperation with the STL Outreach section.

“From the ad hoc Tribunals to the International Criminal Court to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon – Development of International Criminal Adjudication” conference was held in Beirut from May 26th to May 28th. It is the first event of its kind in Lebanon as it brought together officials and experts from several courts including the International Criminal Court, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, the Special Court for Sierra Leone and the STL.

The conference, attended by 200 people, placed the work of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon in the context of international justice and discussions included several topics like the establishment and mandate of international judicial institutions, their jurisdiction, the complexity of international investigations and prosecutions, the protection of witnesses, the rights of the accused, the participation of victims, cooperation of states, as well as the impact of the judicial institutions on the communities affected by their work.

The conference concluded with discussions on the most recent legal developments in the Middle East and North Africa. The participants expressed their commitment to the force of law as opposed to the law of force, which they considered essential to the achievement of international peace and security and a guarantee of the respect of human rights. The participants also highlighted the necessity of empowering international criminal justice mechanisms so that they may contribute to a peaceful coexistence among nations.

The organizers unanimously adopted three recommendations.

The first called on Arab countries to join the ICC, the second called upon the civil society in the Arab world to disseminate the culture of human rights, and the third called upon legal professionals and academics to engage with and contribute to international criminal justice.