The International Nuremberg Principles Academy has partnered with the Wayamo Foundation to co-organize a fourth workshop, focusing on capacity-building for Nigerian military and civil prosecutors, taking place in Nigeria on 2-4 November 2017. This workshop comes as the fourth training session held by the organizers this year and seeks to build upon the previous three trainings as well as reinforce existing knowledge and skills.
The objective of the ongoing training program is to build capacity to address the most serious and complex crimes under Nigerian criminal law (international, transnational and terrorism-related crimes), including those that potentially fall under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court. To this end, experts on the subjects of international criminal law and Nigerian criminal law have been invited to provide training on specific elements of the crimes in question, including the following topics: international criminal investigations; military justice systems; understanding the rights of the accused before civil and military courts; and investigating and prosecuting sexual and gender-based violence. The Nuremberg Academy will also be providing expertise on effective cooperation between civil society actors and judicial mechanisms as a means to improving investigation and prosecution processes.
The workshop deals with substantive as well as procedural law, and employs a combination of theory and practice to ensure an interactive exchange. This includes practical exercises consisting of hypothetical cases which provide the opportunity to apply the knowledge obtained within specific envisaged contexts and bring to light the associated challenges. This event continues to enhance the progress made in strengthening justice and accountability in Nigeria and aims to set the standard for the prosecution of serious international crimes in the future.