September 20, 2023
PANEL DISCUSSION: „WAR CRIMES BEFORE GERMAN COURTS: THE POTENTIAL AND CHALLENGES OF INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL LAW IN PRACTICE“
The panel discussion taking place on October 11 at the Forum of Contemporary History Leipzig is a cooperation between the Stiftung Forum Recht and Revolutionale - a project of the Stiftung Friedliche Revolution.
Leipzig. 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 have been subject to prosecution in German courts, even if they were committed abroad. On this basis, trials have been held regarding war crimes in Syria and the genocide in Rwanda; evidence is currently being gathered to prosecute Russian crimes in Ukraine.
This topic will be discussed at the event „War Crimes Before German Courts: Potential and Obstacles in the Application of International Criminal Law“ on Wednesday, October 11, 2023, starting at 6:30 p.m. at the Zeitgeschichtliches Forum Leipzig, Ukrainian and Syrian experts will discuss this topic together with a representative of the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office. 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 help initiate and support such proceedings will also be addressed.
Participants in the panel discussion, organized jointly by the Forum Recht Foundation and the Revolutionale, are Kateryna Busol (Professor of International Criminal Law at the National University of Kyiv–Mohyla Academy, 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) and Dr. Somi Nikol (Office of the Federal Prosecutor). The moderator will be Alexandra Kemmerer, (Research Fellow and Coordinator, Max Planck Institute for Foreign Public Law and International Law).
The event will be held in English with German translation; participation is free of charge. A joint event organized by the Forum Recht Foundation and REVOLUTIONALE in cooperation with the Zeitgeschichtliches Forum Leipzig.
Panel discussion "War Crimes before German Courts: Potentials and hurdles of applied international criminal law"
When? Wed., October 11, 2023, 6:30 p.m.
Where? Auditorium of the Leipzig Forum for Contemporary History, Grimmaische Str. 6, 04109 Leipzig
Participation: Participation is free of charge
More details: www.revolutionale.de
Contact Us
Silke Janßen
Head of Marketing, Communications and Digital
Stiftung Forum Recht
Cell: +49 176 60461608
Email: janssen@stiftung-forum-recht.de
Image material
The Press photos These materials are available here for download and use for editorial purposes in connection with the event organized by the Forum Recht Foundation, provided that the copyright notice is included, free of charge.
About the Revolutionaries
The project of the Peaceful Revolution Foundation focuses on strengthening civil society’s commitment to human rights, democracy, and social change. REVOLUTIONALE consists of two parts, which alternate annually: The REVOLUTIONALE – International Roundtable (October 9–12, 2023) is a conference on democracy and human rights that offers stakeholders from Europe and beyond a safe space to exchange views on shared values, sociopolitical issues, and current challenges.
About the Forum Law Foundation
The Stiftung Forum Recht was established in 2019 as a federal foundation under public law by an act of the German Bundestag with its headquarters in Karlsruhe and a location in Leipzig. It designs a variety of analog and digital exhibition, event and educational formats and creates spaces in which people can talk about their experiences with the law and the rule of law: in Karlsruhe, Leipzig, mobile throughout Germany and digitally.