Director Klaus Rackwitz and the President of the Advisory Council of the Nuremberg Academy, Navi Pillay, took part in the webinar “The Age of Robert H. Jackson – London, Nuremberg, Today” organized by the Robert H. Jackson Center on 8 August 2020. The Nuremberg Academy was one of the program partners of the event.
This global event marked the seventy-fifth anniversary of the signing of the London Charter and Agreement and the establishment of the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg. The webinar commemorated these events and the panelists in New York, London, and Nuremberg discussed how the legacy of Robert H. Jackson and the Nuremberg Trials live in the world today.
The panels covered a wide range of topics, spanning from the deliberations in London to the present state of International Criminal Law. Navi Pillay Reflected on the activities and the influence of the UN ad hoc tribunals as well as on the phenomenon of superior orders as an excuse, which could not be entertained in Nuremberg but still serves as a defense. Klaus Rackwitz focused on the future of ICL regarding newly emerging threats and crimes (like terrorism, cybercrime and eco-crimes) and the still solid foundation the Nuremberg Principles provides to tackle these crimes.
To watch the recorded webinar, click here (external link).
Agenda and Panels:
- Welcome by Kristan McMahon, President, Robert H. Jackson Center
- Moderator: Michael Scharf, Dean, Case Western Reserve University School of Law
- Greetings from Ben Ferencz, last living podium prosecutor at Nuremberg
- Historical overview of Robert H. Jackson’s life: John Barrett, Professor of Law, St. John’s University, and Elizabeth S. Lenna, Fellow, Robert H. Jackson Center
Panels:
- Ben Ferencz, last living podium prosecutor at Nuremberg
Robert H. Jackson Center:
- David Crane, Founding Chief Prosecutor, Special Court for Sierra Leone
- James Johnson, Prosecutor, Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone
- Leila Sadat, Director, Whitney R. Harris World Law Institute, James Carr Professor of International Criminal Law, and Special Adviser on Crimes Against Humanity to the ICC Prosecutor
London:
- Mark Ellis, Executive Director, International Bar Association
- Bill Schabas OC MRIA, Professor of International Law, Middlesex University and Professor of International Criminal Law and Human rights, Leiden University
Nuremberg:
- Navi Pillay, President of the Advisory Council, International Nuremberg Principles Academy
- Klaus Rackwitz, Director, International Nuremberg Principles Academy