War Crimes in German Courts: Opportunities and Challenges in the Application of International Criminal Law

Details

Date:
October 11, 2023
Time:
18:30 - 20:00

Venue

Leipzig Forum on Contemporary History
6 Grimmaische Street
Leipzig 04109

Since 2002, the International Criminal Code has made it possible to prosecute war crimes and crimes against humanity committed abroad in Germany. Since then, these crimes can be prosecuted in German courts, even if they were committed abroad. On this basis, trials have been held for war crimes in Syria and the genocide in Rwanda; evidence is currently being gathered to prosecute Russian crimes in Ukraine.

As part of the “Revolutionale” series, the Peaceful Revolution Foundation, the Forum Recht Foundation, and the Leipzig Forum for Contemporary History invite you to a discussion with experts. The discussion will focus in particular on the potential of international criminal law, the documentation of war crimes, and the possibilities for initiating and supporting legal proceedings. The question of how civil society activism can initiate and support such proceedings will also be discussed.

On the podium:

  • Kateryna Busol (International criminal law expert at the National University of Kyiv - Mohyla Acadamy, Ukraine)
  • Roman Koval (Research Coordinator, Truth Hounds Ukraine, an NGO that documents war crimes)
  • Mariana Karkoutly (a Syrian lawyer and human rights activist who observed the Koblenz trial)
  • Dr. Somi Nikol (Federal Public Prosecutor's Office)

Moderated by Alexandra Kemmerer, (Research Fellow and Coordinator, Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law)

The event will be held in English with German translation; participation is free of charge.

A woman is shown in a portrait shot. The photo depicts panelist Dr. Somi Nikol.

Panel discussion participant Dr. Somi Nikol. Photo: courtesy of the photographer

A man is shown in a head-and-shoulders shot. The black-and-white photo depicts panel discussion participant Roman Koval.

Panel discussion participant Roman Koval. Photo: private collection

A woman is shown in a portrait shot. The photo depicts panelist Mariana Karkoutly.

Panel discussion participant Mariana Karkoutly. Photo: private collection

Photo of panelist Kateryna Busol. The image shows a woman in a portrait shot.

Panel discussion participant Kateryna Busol. Photo: private collection

The black-and-white photo shows a woman in a frontal view. It is a picture of TV host Alexandra Kemmerer.

Host Alexandra Kemmerer. Photo: MPIL/Maurice Weiss (Ostkreuz)

Joint event as part of the Revolutionale (revolutionale.de) in cooperation with the Forum Recht Foundation and the Leipzig Forum for Contemporary History (hdg.de/contemporary-history-forum).

 

A recording of the event will be made available afterward.