On 13–14 November 2025, representatives of the International Nuremberg Principles Academy participated in the 3rd International Conference on Human Rights Research in Armenia, jointly organised by the Raoul Wallenberg Institute (RWI), the French University in Armenia and the Human Rights Research Center Armenia. The conference brought together experts, academics and practitioners to discuss pressing human rights challenges in Armenia and the wider region.
During the session on Justice, Accountability and Inclusive Societies, Project Officer Astrid Walter delivered a presentation titled “Publicity as an Indicator of the Fairness of Criminal Trials.” Grounded in the Nuremberg Principles and international human rights law, she highlighted how the right to a fair and public hearing—enshrined in the Nuremberg Principle V, Article 6 of the ECHR and Article 14 of the ICCPR—remains central to safeguarding due process.
Astrid Walter explained that transparency in criminal proceedings serves as a critical safeguard against abuse, especially in politically sensitive trials. She emphasised that publicity enables society, the media and the international community to understand what is happening to defendants, ensuring accountability of judicial institutions. In contexts where independent monitoring is limited and reliable information is scarce, analysing the level of publicity becomes an essential tool to assess whether trials meet the standards of fairness required under international law.
Presenting during the session on Rule of Law, Access to Justice and Socio-Economic Realities, Senior Officer for International Criminal Law Dr Gurgen Petrossian spoke on “Business and Human Rights in the Emerging Changes of the World Order.” His intervention explored corporate involvement in conflict zones and the ways in which mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence—such as the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act and forthcoming EU-wide regulations—can help identify and prevent complicity in international crimes.
Using historical examples from the Nuremberg industrial trials, including the IG Farben, Krupp and Flick cases, Dr Petrossian illustrated that corporate actors have long played roles in grave violations during armed conflicts. Today’s due diligence frameworks, he argued, create structured systems for identifying risks, reporting them internally and ensuring preventive measures are taken. Failure to act on identified risks may contribute to establishing mens rea and corporate or individual liability in cases of war crimes, crimes against humanity, or other international crimes. Dr Petrossian highlighted that stronger and more unified due diligence standards are essential to prevent gaps that allow harmful business practices to persist in fragile or conflict-affected areas.
The Academy is grateful to RWI, UFAR and HRRC for organising this timely and highly relevant conference. We commend the organisers for their commitment to open dialogue and for shedding light on human rights issues at a critical moment for the region. (gp/aw)
