On 19 September 2026, the International Nuremberg Principles Academy (Nuremberg Academy) has contributed to the guided city tours Stadt(ver)führungen 2026, a city-wide event organised by the City of Nuremberg. The annual Nuremberg Stadt(ver)führungen have been held for more than 20 years. Over the course of one weekend, more than 1,000 guided city tours and events offer the possibility to discover Nuremberg, its culture and its history from a variety of new and often unique perspectives, organised around a common theme. In 2026, the events were focused on the topic of Zeitfenster, which can by translated to ‘time slot’ or ‘window of opportunity’.
Taking up this theme, the Nuremberg Academy invited an open discussion on the conditions necessary to successfully come to terms with state-perpetrated injustices, and whether there ever is the perfect moment for justice. In the discussion moderated by Astrid Walter, Project Officer at the Nuremberg Academy, Judge Christoph Flügge and Stefanie Küfner shared their experiences in working within international criminal courts.
Stefanie Küfner, born and raised in Nuremberg, soon developed strong interest in human rights and international criminal justice. After completing her law studies in Germany and the Netherlands, she served as a legal officer at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) from 2010 until the closure of the tribunal, where she worked on landmark trials including those of Zdravko Tolimir and Ratko Mladić. Since 2018, she has been with the International Criminal Court (ICC), where she currently heads the Legal and Treaty Affairs Division in the Court’s Registry.
Judge Christoph Flügge of Hamburg has held different positions in the Berlin judiciary, including as a prosecutor, judge and head of the Berlin correctional system – particularly during the reorganization of the prison system in Berlin following German reunification. He also served as State Secretary for Justice in Berlin. In 2007, he was appointed Judge at the ICTY and remained at the tribunal until it’s closure in 2017. At the ICTY, he was part of pioneering trials including those of Vlastimir Đorđević, Zdravko Tolimir und Ratko Mladić. Morover, until 2018, he was also a judge at the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, which is also handling criminal cases related to the war in Rwanda. He was also an expert advisor to the Council of Europe on the reform of the Ukrainian prison system and, after several weeks of visits to correctional facilities, developed recommendations for it.
In a lively discussion, they answered to questions from the audience, who were interested in learning about the inner workings of international criminal courts, their mandate as well as its limitations, and the societal and political circumstances that determine the success of a criminal trial. Referring to the German experience with Transitional Justice that had started with the Nuremberg Trials, they showed that the public opinion about a trial may change over time: from perceiving of the trails as Siegerjustiz to accepting them as legitimate and necessary criminal judgments. Moreover, Judge Flügge and Ms Küfner shared their personal experiences at the courts, and the difficulties arising from political pushback including the sanctions imposed by the US administration against the International Criminal Court. They also addressed the emotional and psycological distress that working on large-scale violent crimes every day may cause to the staff of the courts; but highlighted the hope and commitment that keeps them working to pursue justice for the victims andy survivors of horrific acts of violence.
We would like to express our heartfelt thanks to everyone for participating in this discussion. Special thanks go to our guests Ms Stefanie Küfner and Judge Christoph Flügge. (aw)