Nuremberg Academy hosted Human Rights Program of the Berg Institute

 

The International Nuremberg Principles Academy hosted the last session of the program “Derechos Humanos en el Terreno 2018” (Human Rights in the Field 2018) organized by the Berg Institute, in Courtroom 600 in Nuremberg on 22 June. The 35 participants, including judges, prosecutors and lawyers from Spain and Latin America, took part in a two-week high-level program with study visits in Belgium, France, Germany, Luxemburg, The Netherlands and Spain. In Nuremberg, they had the opportunity to visit the Memorium of the Nuremberg Trials and receive the certificates of the course in Courtroom 600.

The program was held entirely in Spanish and included opening remarks by the directors of the Madrid-based Berg Institute, Dr. Joaquín González Ibáñez and Dr. Javier López de Goicoechea. Deputy Director Dr. Viviane Dittrich delivered a lecture presenting the work of the Nuremberg Academy and the legacy of the Nuremberg Principles for our projects; then, Eduardo Toledo, Senior Officer for International Criminal Law, spoke about the importance of Courtroom 600 and the future of the field of international criminal law.

The directors of the Institute presented the “Premio Berg Institute de Derecho Humanos” (Berg Institute Human Rights Prize) to the 2018 recipient: Dr. Joan Garcés, who received this award due to his long-standing commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights. Dr. Garcés is a Spanish lawyer; in 1970, he became the personal adviser of then President of Chile Salvador Allende. He is the only secretary or minister who survived the coup d’état of 1973. After this experience, he dedicated his work to fight against impunity of international crimes using the universal jurisdiction legal framework of Spain.

Dr. Garcés expressed his gratitude with a speech highlighting the importance of the Nuremberg Principles for this legal fight to bring Pinochet before the Spanish tribunals in the 1990s, and he described its importance for the next battles that need to be fought in the protection of individuals from massive human rights violations.

At the end of the program the participants received their certificates from the Directors of the Berg Institute, Dr. Ibáñez and Dr. López de Goicoechea; the Deputy Director of the Academy, Dr. Dittrich, and Senior Officer, Mr. Toledo; the laureate, Dr. Garcés; and the Dean of the Law Faculty of the Universidad Javeriana de Colombia, Dr. Sampedro Arrubla.

 

Dr. Joaquín González Ibáñez, Director of the Berg Institute, welcoming the participants in Courtroom 600
Dr. Viviane Dittrich, Deputy Director of the International Nuremberg Principles Academy, presenting the work of the Nuremberg Academy and the legacy of the Nuremberg Principles
Audience
Mr. Eduardo Toledo, Senior Officer at the Nuremberg Academy, speaking about the importance of Courtroom 600 and the future of the field of international criminal law
Dr. Joaquín González Ibáñez, Dr. Javier López de Goicoechea, Dr. Joan Garcés and Dr. Viviane Dittrich (from left to right)
Dr. Javier López de Goicoechea and Dr. Joaquín González Ibáñez, Directors of the Berg Institute
Dr. Joan Garcés was awarded the Berg Institute Human Rights Prize
Participants