Naharnet - Deans, Professors of Lebanese Universities Conclude Visit to STL, May 9 2012

Deans and professors of a number of Lebanese universities have concluded a visit to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, announced the STL in a statement on Wednesday.

The visit, which lasted from 7 to 9 May, included discussions with STL President Judge Sir David Baragwanath, as well as other senior tribunal officials.

They also met with officials from the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), as well as professors of law and international legal experts in the Netherlands also met with the Lebanese academics.

The visit is part of the Inter-University Program on International Criminal Law and Procedure which is aimed at law students in Lebanese universities, currently at no cost to them.

The Program is organized in cooperation between the STL, the Asser Institute in The Netherlands, and eight universities in Lebanon. The course covers issues such as the history of international law, genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, crimes of terrorism and the role of the STL, the rights of the accused in international criminal proceedings, and the role of victims.

"The visit allowed us to clarify certain points on the functioning of the STL like the major decisions taken, the protective measures in place for witnesses", said Philomène Nasr, Dean of the Law School at the Lebanese University. Her colleague, Leila Saadé, added: "The substantially informative round-tables gathering such prominent experts should include an additional day combining theory and practice".

Aida Azar, Vice-dean of the law school at Saint Joseph University, said that the visit allowed the participants to visualize what was for them theoretical so far.

Karim Mufty, Professor at La Sagesse University, believes that the visits to The Hague are very important because they allow an essential interaction with the different actors of international justice.

The universities participating in the program are Beirut Arab University, Lebanese University, Saint Joseph, La Sagesse, Notre Dame, Saint-Esprit de Kaslik, American University of Science and Technology, and Antonine University.

http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/39676