The Registrar of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Herman von Hebel, just concluded the first three-day training session for counsel to be held at the new ICC premises in The Hague, the Netherlands with the participation of 122 lawyers registered on the ICC List of Counsel.
This training was held as a follow up to the “Second Sub-Regional Seminar of Counsel and the Legal Profession of the ICC”, held in Arusha in February 2016. Over the last three days, the participants focussed on the understanding of the applicable law in relation to cross-examinations, the role of the lead defence counsel and the counsel assisting a witness, the applicable deontological rules in relation to the investigation, and the submission of evidence during the process. The training session also allowed representatives of the Court and members of its List of Counsel the opportunity to share experiences, discuss issues of mutual interest and how to address challenges together.
In his closing remarks, the ICC Registrar thanked the trainers, Avocats sans frontières, as well as the European Commission for its financial support for this training. He referred to the topics discussed during this three-day training as “very relevant for the current work of the Court, as well as the Court’s future, and it is with satisfaction that I take note of the continuous interest of counsel in the ongoing developments at the ICC and its changing environment”. He also assured all the participants that “the Court will do its utmost to enhance its consultation practices, and will remain committed to consultations with the legal profession”.
