The International Nuremberg Principles Academy was present at the 17th Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute, which took place at the World Forum in The Hague, the Netherlands, from 5 to 12 December 2018. It organized a side event attracting around 80 guests on 10 December. The event consisted of a book launch and a thematic panel discussion on “Islam and International Criminal Law and Justice”.
Dr. Tallyn Gray, editor of the second volume published in the Nuremberg Academy Series entitled “Islam and International Criminal Law and Justice”, presented the new book. He emphasized that two myths need to be addressed: firstly, within the Muslim world, the idea that international criminal law is a "Western" concept, and, secondly, the claim of a "clash of civilizations" i.e. that Islamic civilization is incompatible with concepts of human rights and international criminal law.
The panel addressed the parallels between civilizations and legal traditions, demonstrating how the Islamic “legal family” finds common ground with international criminal law. The panelists gave insights in decisions rendered by the ICC concerning the application of Islamic legal principles or thoughts and particularly underlined that any perceived incompatibility did not exist in reality, rather the opposite would be the case.
The panel was composed of Dr. Tallyn Gray, Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Westminster; H.E. Judge Ivana Hrdlicková, President of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon; Judge Catherine Marchi-Uhel, Head of the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism for Syria; Mohammad El-Zeidy, Legal Officer at the International Criminal Court; Judge Adel Maged, Vice President of the Egyptian Court of Cassation and Amady Ba, Head of the International Cooperation Unit at the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.
Dr. Guido Hildner, Director of Public International Law of the German Federal Foreign Office, gave the opening remarks. Klaus Rackwitz and Dr. Viviane Dittrich, Director and Deputy Director of the Nuremberg Academy, moderated the discussion.
For more information on the book click here.
