We are delighted to share the success of the Nuremberg Forum 2023 “Legally Undeniable: Criminalising Genocide Denial”. From 19 to 21 October, legal experts from around the world convened in historic Courtroom 600 of the Nuremberg Palace of Justice to dive into the intricacies of genocide denial and free speech. Rwandan and Srebrenica genocide survivors shared their firsthand accounts of the atrocities and discussed their approaches to combatting denial.
The Forum provided a hybrid platform where experts exchanged and debated views on how to best tackle the denial of histories’ most sanguine atrocities and the hate that comes with it. At the forefront was the bright line between free speech and its restrictions. Ought the denial of genocide be criminalised? If so, on what basis and does it effectively secure the protected legal interest of a harmonious democratic society as it intends? Throughout the different panels, experts examined the country contexts of Rwanda, Former Yugoslavia, post-WWII Germany, the current state of domestic regulation and the particular importance of education and sharing of victim testimony.
Among the experts were the Chief Prosecutor of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals Dr Serge Brammertz, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Special Advisor on Genocide Prevention Alice Wairimu Nderitu, High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina Christian Schmidt and New York Law School Professor Nadine Strossen. Honoré Gatera came to us as the Director of the Kigali Genocide Memorial and a survivor of the Rwandan Genocide. Munira Subašic participated in her capacity as the President of the Movement of the Mothers of Srebrenica and Žepa enclaves and shared her story as a survivor of the Srebrenica Genocide. This Forum was a collaboration with the Office of the Prosecutor International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals and the United Nations Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect. (ak)
For more information, pictures, video recordings and the conference programme, please click here.