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Faculty of Law trains human rights defenders in international criminal law

The course “Training Human Rights Defenders in the Law and Practice of the International Criminal Court” was organised by Fabián Raimondo, Associate Professor of Public International Law, supported by Mundo. The project concerns Tailor Made Training funded by Nuffic in the framework of the Orange Knowledge Programme. The training was addressed to a group of ten lawyers of the Guinean Organisation of Human Rights that are representing victims of crimes against humanity committed in the context of what became known in Guinea as the “28 September Massacre”. ​

The situation in Guinea has been under preliminary examination by the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) since October 2009, following dozens of communications submitted by NGOs in relation to that event. The preliminary examination is at an advanced stage of development and, if Guinea proves unable or unwilling to investigate and prosecute genuinely the persons allegedly responsible for such crimes, the potential case identified by the ICC Prosecutor may end up before the ICC.

The training provided the participants with the legal knowledge necessary to assist victims and witnesses in connection with investigations or prosecutions for ICC crimes before the courts of Guinea or before the ICC.

The training consisted of two sessions, one in the Netherlands and one in Guinea. The first session took place in the Netherlands from 23 to 25 October 2019. During the first day, at Maastricht University, the participants received by Fabián Raimondo a lecture on jurisdiction and admissibility of cases before the ICC, and a lecture by Sylviane Glodjinon (member of the List of Counsel of the ICC) on the roles of counsel before this court. In the next two days, at the seat of the ICC in The Hague), the participants were trained by ICC staff in managing the case file, as well as in the rights of victims to participation and reparation. The second session took place in Conakry, the capital of Guinea, on 9 and 10 January 2020. The participants were updated on current developments in the ICC and tested on their knowledge and skills gained during the training course. This session was led by Dr Fabián Raimondo, with the assistance of experts from the ICC and the region.

The trainees will disseminate among other human rights defenders in Guinea the knowledge and skills gained during the session

Mundo

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