100th Newsletter of the ICTY Association of Defence Counsel

ADC-ICTY-300x300The Association of Defence Counsel Practising Before the ICTY (ADC-ICTY) has published the 100th issue of its newsletter.

This edition covers the recent developments in the Mladić case as well as in the Karadžić case, where the Defence filed two motions before the Appeals Chamber of the MICT (Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals) requesting on one hand the Prosecution to disclose statements to the Defence and on the other hand access to Ex Parte Filings in Completed Cases.

The newsletter also addresses the recent developments which took place at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, as well as in Croatia, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, where a war crimes trial is held against a former Bosnian Presidency Member, Borislav Paravac, accused of having participated in a joint criminal enterprise, targeting the Bosniak and Croat civilian population in Doboj (Northern Bosnia) between May 1992 and the end of 1993.

The newsletter also contains an op-ed analysis on the recent conviction of Radovan Karadžić and whether his conviction impedes Ratko Mladić’s right to a fair trial.

Latest Newsletter of the ICTY Association of Defence Counsel

ADC-ICTY-300x300The Association of Defence Counsel Practising Before the ICTY (ADC-ICTY) has published its latest newsletter.

This edition covers the recent developments in the Mladić and Karadžić cases.

The newsletter also addresses the recent cases which took place at the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) as well as in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Moreover, the Newsletter provides a detailed summary of a conference which took place last January in Berlin and which gathered Defence Counsel from various International Tribunals.

Finally, the Newsletter analyses the upcoming challenges of the New Kosovo Tribunal which will be established in The Hague.

ADC-ICTY: Legal Internship Opportunity

ADC-ICTY-300x300The Association of Defence Counsel practicing before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ADC-ICTY) based in The Hague, is currently seeking applications for legal interns to start as soon as possible in assisting Defence Counsel with ongoing cases.

Interns will be involved in a range of tasks including, but not limited to; conducting legal research, preparing witness summaries, witness preparation, factual research, writing legal memoranda, case management tasks and supporting Defence Counsel in their daily work.

Additionally to the internship, the ADC regularly organises field trips and social activities for its interns. Interns also have the possibility of joining the ADC Newsletter Team and the ICTY Intern Career Development Committee.

Internships are available starting now, for a period of three to six months, full-time or part-time. Please note: The ADC-ICTY internships are unpaid.

For more information on the internship opportunity and for application submissions, please click here.

ADC-ICTY Annual Conference 2015

ADC-ICTY-300x300Reminder: The Association of Defence Counsel Practising before the ICTY and Representing Counsel before the MICT (ADC-ICTY) will host its annual conference, entitled “The Situation of Defence Counsel at International Criminal Courts and Tribunals”, at the Bel Air Hotel on 5 December from 9:00 to 17:30. Registration is open until 30 November.

This one-day conference will feature four distinguished panels on various topics in relation to the role and importance of the Defence. The keynote speech, entitled “No Justice without Defence Counsel”, will be given by Judge Prof. Dr. h.c. Wolfgang Schomburg and the closing remarks will be delivered  by ADC-ICTY President Colleen Rohan. Panellists will include renowned Defence Counsel, Judges and representatives from various international criminal courts and tribunals.

Participation fees: 35 Euros (including coffee breaks) for external participants, 20 Euros for ADC-ICTY members, students and unpaid interns. Lunch will cost 15 Euros per person upon reservation. It is possible to obtain credits for continuing legal education purposes.

The ADC is looking forward to welcoming many external participants, students and interns. For further information and to register, please contact the ADC-ICTY Head Office at [email protected], and access this link.

ADC-ICTY Annual Conference: Judge Schomburg Confirmed as Keynote Speaker

ADC-ICTY-300x300The 2015 Annual Conference of the Association of Defence Counsel Practising before the ICTY and Representing Counsel before the MICT (ADC-ICTY)  will be opened with a keynote speech entitled No Justice Without Defence Counsel by Professor Doctor h.c. Wolfgang Schomburg.

Wolfgang Schomburg served as an international Judge at the UN-ICTY first as a presiding Judge and then in the Appeals Chambers. He is an invaluable addition to the ADC Annual Conference.

Date: 5 December 2015

Time: 09:00 to 17:30

Location: Bel Air Hotel, Johan de Wittlaan 30, 2517 JR The Hague

This one-day conference will focus on the situation of Defence Counsel at International Criminal Courts and Tribunals and will feature four distinguished panels on various topics in relation to the role and importance of the Defence.

The closing remarks will be delivered by the ADC-ICTY President, Colleen M. Rohan, and panellists will include renowned Defence Counsel, Judges and representatives from various international criminal courts and tribunals.

Panel I: The Role of Defence Counsel at International Criminal Courts and Tribunals

Panel II: The Necessity of a Defence Office from the International and National Perspective

Panel III: The Importance of a Bar Association for International Criminal Courts and Tribunals

Panel IV: The Future of Defence Counsel on the International and National Level

Confirmed speakers:

Judge Wolfgang Schomburg, Jens Dieckmann, Christopher Gosnell, Gregor Guy-Smith, Dragan Ivetić, Michael G. Karnavas, Xavier-Jean Keïta, Nina Kisić, Novak Lukić, Judge Howard Morrison, Judge Janet Nosworthy, Judge Alphons Orie, Fiana Reinhardt, Colleen Rohan, Héleyn Uñac, Slobodan Zečević

Participation Fee: 35 Euros (including coffee breaks) for the general public,

20 Euros for ADC-ICTY members, students and unpaid interns.

For further information and to register please contact the ADC-ICTY Head Office at [email protected]

ADC-ICTY Advocacy Training Sessions 2015

ADC ICTYThe ADC-ICTY (Association of Defence Counsel Practising Before The International Criminal Tribunal For The Former Yugoslavia) is organising a number of advocacy training sessions in 2015, focusing on a variety of essential topics in the practice of international criminal law. These are one-day events taking place at the ICTY in The Hague, presented by renowned Defence Counsel and ADC-ICTY members. Certificates are awarded and the sessions count towards CLE credits.

  • 25 April 2015:  Colleen Rohan - Drafting Trial Motions, Final Briefs and Appeals
  • 16 May 2015:  Christopher Gosnell - Preparing Oral Arguments
  • 6 June 2015:  Marie O’Leary - Witness Proofing
  • 22 August 2015:  Dragan Ivetić - Expert Witnesses

 For further information, click here.

Event: ADC-ICTY Advocacy Training

ADC-ICTY-300x300The ADC-ICTY is organising an Advocacy Training with Michael G. Karnavas on “Evidence and Objections - direct & cross-examination” on Saturday 28 March 2015 at the ICTY. The training will be held in the press room and will last from 9:30 am until 5:00 pm.

The registration fee for ADC interns, staff and members is 15 Euros, for external participants 25 Euros. To register, please send an email to: [email protected]

Event: ADC-ICTY Annual Training

ADC-ICTY-300x300On Saturday 8 November 2014, the Association of Defence Counsel Practising Before the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ADC-ICTY) is organising its annual training for members. Due to the large success of the Legacy Conference last year, this year’s training will also be open to external participants. The training will focus on the important topic of “Ethics” and will feature three panel discussions on ethical issues during pre-trial, trial and appeal. Participants may also obtain a certificate for continuing legal education (CLE) purposes.

The training will take place at the Bel Air Hotel in The Hague and will be an all-day event from 9:00 to 17:00. All participants are invited to the annual party at Hudson’s Bar and Kitchen afterwards.

The training is free of charge. There are limited places available and to register, please send an email to [email protected] with your full name and current place of employment/study.

A detailed programme of the training is available here.

ICC: The Challenges of the Defence

Court HammerIn a recent article in the French legal review “La Gazette du Palais”, the French Lawyer François Roux discusses the challenges faced by the Defence in front of the international jurisdictions, and more specifically at the International Criminal Court (ICC). After explaining that the creation of the Office of Public Counsel for Defence (OPCD) at the ICC constitutes an important step in order to reinforce the equality of arms and to enable a fair trial, Roux criticizes the fact that the OPCD falls within the remit and the authority of the Registry for administrative purposes and does not constitute per se an organ of the ICC, which is the case of the Office of the Prosecutor for instance.

On the contrary, he says, the Registry wants to replace the OPCD by an Association of Defence Counsel which would be external to the Court. For Roux, current Head of the Defence Office at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, it is essential that the Defence be permanently represented by an independent organ, equal to the Office of the Prosecutor, with the competence to conclude international agreements with States or to intervene at the Assembly of State Parties.

If you wish to read the article in French, click here.