The International Criminal Court (ICC) today marks 17 July, the Day of International Criminal Justice. On this day in 1998, the Rome Statute was adopted. The Rome Statute is the founding treaty of the ICC, which created the Court and the Trust Fund for Victims.
Marking the day, ICC President Judge Chile Eboe-Osuji stated: âThere cannot be sustainable socio-economic development, where conflicts, atrocities and fear reign supreme. The fact that we have today a permanent International Criminal Court has changed the way the world looks at atrocities. The world expects accountability. Victims demand justice. The space for impunity for these atrocities is shrinking.â In this way, the ICC President linked the work of the Court to the United Nationâs Sustainable Development Goal 16 (SDG16): Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.
Several events are being hosted to mark the anniversary, particularly through the ICCâs country offices in Central African Republic, CĂŽte dâIvoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Georgia, and Uganda.
The ICC President will deliver remarks at an event commemorating 17 July at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The event, hosted by the Permanent Missions of Argentina, Ecuador, Liechtenstein, the Netherlands, Norway, Sierra Leone and Spain, as well as Parliamentarians for Global Action, will highlight the crucial role of international criminal justice in achieving SDG16.
These events and more are covered on the ICCâs social media platforms, which are also kicking off a year-long call for stories with the theme âMy #journeytojusticeâ. Participants can submit selfie-style video stories of under one minute by using the #journeytojustice hashtag or emailing PublicAffairs.Unit@icc-cpi.int.
Starting today, stories from the ICC President, Prosecutor and Registrar, among many others, will be featured on these platforms. The stories are personal accounts of how those participating in the campaign first became interested in matters of justice, why, and where that led them to this day.
17 July unites all those who support ending impunity for the most serious crimes of international concern through the due process of law, promoting victimsâ rights, and contributing to the prevention of such crimes.
On 18 June, the Embassy of Hungary and the Hungarian Business Network (HBN) organized a business reception at the newly renovated Embassy building in the Hague.
The event brought together 50 representatives of Dutch companies in Hungary, Dutch-Hungarian businessmen and international and Dutch governmental organizations. The event was opened by Ambassador Kocsis and Cisca Ansem, President of the HBN.
Keynote speaker, Mr. BalĂĄzs Vajta, KLM Vice President Strategy, Captain of Boeing B737 gave a presentation about the KLM Royal Dutch Airlines.
Embassy of Madagascar in Falkensee (Federal State of Brandenburg).
With regard to the efforts of the new government, Mrs. Ratsimba explained that “the strong political will of implementation for better governance, to observe financial orthodoxy, to spare means at state level for better deliveries of social and administrative services, to meet the populationâs high expectations, to work more efficiently at a decentralized level, to raise funds allocated to Communes and community level authorities, and to ease investments, those are new”.
The Embassies of the Republic of Chad and the Republic of Cabo Verde also sent representatives and the honorary consuls of Madagascar from different federal states in Germany came in honour of Madagascarâs national day.
The Utrecht Early Music Festival 2019 will take place from August 23rd till September 1st. The theme chosen for this yearâs edition of the festival, which has been held in the city of Utrecht since 1982, is Naples: a great European center for musical innovation between the 13th and 18th centuries thanks to its diverse environment, which brought the city ahead of its time. Â
One more year, Spanish artists will be present at the festival. The well-known Spanish musician Jordi Savall repeats for the fifth time consecutively, together with his bands âLa Capella Reial de Catalunyaâ and âHespĂšrion XXIâ. They will perform chansons, carols and dances from the 15th to the 18th centuries, when Naples belonged to the Kingdom of Aragon. Â
Finally, the soprano Raquel Andueza will come back to the festival, after she became the big surprise of the 2008 edition. Since then her international career has shot up to be a renowned soloist specialized in Spanish and Italian music of the 17th century. Â
The museum Beelden aan Zee (BAZ) celebrates its 25th anniversary this year with three special exhibitions. The summer exhibition, which will take place from June 22 to September 22, will be dedicated to Spanish sculptor Jaume Plensa, a versatile artist known for his large sculptures that are exhibited mainly in public spaces.
He has completed over thirty large projects in cities such as Chicago, Dubai, London, Liverpool, Nice, Tokyo, Toronto and Vancouver, and he has received many awards, including the Medal de Chevalier des Arts et Lettres and the VelĂĄzquez Prize for the Arts in 2013.
The relationship between Jaume Plensa and the museum Beelden aan Zee started a long time ago. In 1985, Theo and Lida Scholten, founders of Beelden aan Zee, bought one of his first works, titled âHomeâ. Last year, Jaume Plensa created the fountain titled âLoveâ, one of the eleven fountains made for Leeuwarden-FrylĂąn European Capital of Culture 2018.
More information about the exhibition can be found at the website of museum BAZ.
Tiffany & Co. brings its radiance to Shanghai with a novel exhibition: ‘Vision and Virtuosity’. It shall celebrate the most pulchritudinous masterpieces of the legendary jewellery brand.
In September, Tiffany & Co. moves to Shanghai. ‘Vision and Virtuosity’ is a true journey that traces the brand’s incredible journey in design and craftsmanship.
The exhibition is divided into six chapters: “Blue is the colour of dreams” paying tribute to the signature colour of the brand’s creations, with the presence of stones such as sapphire, its decoration and packaging; “Le monde de Tiffany”, which reflects the brand’s representation in popular culture; “Le BlueBook de Tiffany”, where visitors can discover the art and innovation behind the flagship BlueBook collection. “Tiffany’s Love”, shows the role of the brand and its jewellery in the most beautiful declarations of love.
“Breakfast at Tiffany’s” is a celebration of the cult film of the same name and its actress Audrey Hepburn. One shall discover behind the scenes, photographs, and exclusive objects such as the original scenario. And finally “Diamonds: miracles of nature”, a room entirely dedicated to the most precious of stones.Â
‘Vision & Virtuosity’ shal be held from 23 September to 10 November 2019 at the Fosun Foundation in Shanghai.
Monday, 8 July 8 2019, London, UK: This year Ralph Lauren continued its partnership, and private suite venue in the framework of The Championships, Wimbledon, the world’s oldest tennis tournament.Â
The Polo Ralph Lauren Suite and Derek Blasberg welcomed guests to the tournament that is held since 1877. Ralph Lauren treated its celebrity, and aristocratic guests to a drinks reception, seated lunch and afternoon tea whist enjoying the matches of Serena Williams, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and 15-year-old American rising star Cori Gauff.Â
Ralph Lauren Company’s luxury brands include Polo Ralph Lauren, Ralph Lauren Collection, Lauren Ralph Lauren, Double RL, Ralph Lauren Childrenswear, Denim & Supply Ralph Lauren, Chaps, and Club Monaco.
During the meeting of the Working Group Europe of Germanyâs Public Prosecutors General at Eurojustâs premises in The Hague, their support and appreciation for Eurojustâs operational support to cross-border investigations was reaffirmed.
They stressed the need to safeguard the role of Eurojust for the future. In a resolution of 10 June 2019, the Public Prosecutor Generals expressed their grave concerns that the proposed financial resources for Eurojust in the next EU Multiannual Financial Framework (2021-2027) are far too limited to meet the growing demand for practical, on-call support to judicial authorities.
This situation risks weakening the EU security chain, when other law enforcement agencies are being considerably strengthened.
The Working Group Europe of Germanyâs Public Prosecutors General visited Eurojust on 15 and 16 July under the leadership of Dr Frank LĂŒttig, the Public Prosecutor General of Celle. The Federal Public Prosecutor General, Dr Peter Frank, and the Public Prosecutors General of Berlin, Frankfurt am Main, Cologne, Munich and Naumburg were present.
The delegation met with Mr Ladislav Hamran, President of Eurojust, and Mr Klaus Meyer-Cabri, Vice President of Eurojust and National Member for Germany. Recent developments around e-evidence and the future increase in workload for Eurojust after the European Public Prosecutorâs Office becomes operational were also discussed.
The Working Group discussed current issues with the acting Deputy Director General (DG JUST) of the European Commission and the Executive Director of Europol.
âEurojust has become a very important partner in our fight against serious cross-border crimeâ, said Dr LĂŒttig. âIn the past four years, the support requested through the German Desk at Eurojust has in fact risen by 350%. With cross-border crime on the rise, we expect that German prosecutors will turn even more often to Eurojust in the future. We want them to be able to count on the swift, useful service they have been getting until now. With the resolution, we also stress the importance of proper funding for the opportunities in the new Eurojust Regulation to deepen judicial cooperation at EU level, including a rapid introduction of an EU-wide Digital Justice infrastructure.â
Mr Meyer-Cabri confirmed that the demand for services from German prosecutors via the German Desk at Eurojust is steadily increasing. âBy mid-July 2019, we have already reached the number of cases we had registered by September 2018. This represents an increase of 83% compared to last year. Through our 24/7 services and strict focus on the needs of the local prosecutors, the German Desk, and Eurojust as a whole, are ready to help when it really matters.â
âAs Eurojustâs quick analysis of the EAW ruling on Germany clearly shows, we are very well placed to help practitioners find their way in an increasingly complex EU legal environmentâ, said Mr Hamran. âI warmly welcome the outspoken support of the German Prosecutors General concerning our budgetary needs and proper funding for the future. The steady rise in cases referred to us, including from German prosecutors, is for me the best indicator that our pragmatic, decentralised cooperation model, with national representatives united under one roof, works well and needs to be safeguarded. It is agile and fosters considerable trust. We want to continue serving each prosecutor that knocks on our door without no to future requests due to budgetary reasons.â
In the picture H.E. Mr. Alexander Shulgin, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to The Netherlandswith the team Russian experts at a press conference of the Russian embassy in The Hague on July 12th.
By Eric van de Beek.
The alleged poison gas attack in the Syrian city of Douma in April 2018 may have been staged, an engineering sub-team of OPCW’s fact finding mission in Syria concludes in an unpublished, leaked report.
On April 14, 2018, the US, France, and Great Britain launched a missile attack on Syria, in retribution for an alleged poison gas attack on the terrorist stronghold Douma for which they held the Syrian government responsible. Just before the attack, the Russian ambassador in Lebanon and the chief of Russia’s general staff warned Russia would respond to a US strike on Syria if the lives of Russian servicemen were threatened, targeting any missiles and launchers involved.
What could have ended in World War III eventually ended with a hiss. No Russian targets were hit and for Syria the damage from the attack was limited, partly because Syriaâs Soviet-era air defence systems intercepted many incoming missiles.
Uncertainty has settled
However, it is still unclear what exactly happened on April 7th, 2018 in Douma. Until recently it was widely believed a helicopter from the Syrian army had dropped two cylinders of chlorine on the city, at that time occupied by Army of Islam aka Jaysh al-Islam. The cylinders were found by inspectors of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) on a roof terrace and on a bed under a hole in a roof.
Environmental samples from the scene contained chlorinated organic compounds, consistent with release of chlorine. The final report of the OPCW Fact-Finding Mission concluded that there are “reasonable grounds that the use of a toxic chemical as a weapon took placeâ, and that the cylinders had been dropped from the sky. Although OPCW did not identify any culprit in the report, this would implicate the Syrian military.
In May of this year an internal document was leaked from OPCW. The author, Ian Henderson, concluded that there was a âhigher probability that both cylinders were manually placed at those two locations rather than being delivered from aircraftâ. From the damage to the two cylinders and from other data, Hendersonâs engineering assessment concludes that the cylinders must have been placed manually. For example, the hole in the roof turned out to be smaller than the cylinder found in the bedroom below.
Not included in final report
The findings of Henderson and his engineering sub-team were not included in the final report issued by the OPCW on March 1st, 2019. The findings of the sub-team were published on May 13th on the website of the âWorking Group on Syria, Propaganda and Mediaâ (WGSPM). This group consists of mainly British academics, including David Miller, Piers Robinson and Paul McKeigue, who claim to be in contact with whistleblowers from OPCW and state that the engineering assessment was suppressed. The OPCW Director-General has confirmed that the document is genuine, that it was part of the investigation, and that he has ordered an investigation into how it was leaked.
Chemical attack staged?
The British WGSPM that published the leaked OPCW report argues that it is now established âbeyond reasonable doubtâ that the supposed poison gas attack in Douma was staged, not only because of the findings of the OPCW engineering assessment, but also because of the images of children in a hospital, presented to the world by representatives of the White Helmets as evidence of a poison gas attack. According to WGSPM it is no longer seriously disputed that this hospital scene was staged.
Clouds of dust
British Middle East correspondent Robert Fisk interviewed a doctor from the hospital on April 16th 2018. He stated that although the video of the White Helmets was real, and that the filmed patients were struggling with breathing problems, these breathing problems were not the result of a poison gas attack, but of dust clouds caused by bombardments that had occurred earlier in the day. While the patients were being brought in, there was a member of the White Helmets calling out “gas!” – which caused people throwing water over each other in panic.
Witnesses who told their story in The Hague on April 28th, 2018 at a press conference of the Russian delegation to the OPCW roughly confirmed the statement of the doctor interviewed by Fisk. None of the witnesses, including several people who were seen in the video of the White Helmets, say they have noticed anything of a poison gas attack.
Real deaths
Nevertheless, several photos and videos report deaths in the building where one of the cylinders was found. These images were posted on social media on April 8th and 9th, 2018. A total of 35 bodies can be seen. The OPCW did not perform an autopsy. The dead were already buried before the inspectors arrived in Douma. Although the researchers at WGSPM assume that these people are the victims of poison gas, they do not think the cylinder on the roof terrace of the apartment building poisoned them.
“In a real chemical attack with chlorine or any other irritant gas, most victims would try to escape and non-fatal cases requiring prolonged hospital treatment would far outnumber fatal cases,” WGSPM argues. “The images of the victims seen at Location 2 show that they were evidently exposed to an irritant gas but were unable to escape.” The WGSPM argues that these images also show that the victims must have been hung upside down during the exposure to poison gas, with their eyes apparently protected by something like swimming goggles.
At a press conference of the Russian embassy in The Hague on July 12th, interviews were shown of people living in the building where the 35 bodies were found. None of them recognized the deaths from the videos and photos, apart from one man who recognized his brother, who had died, he said, from artillery shelling elsewhere. Some interviewees declared they had seen fighters bringing dead bodies into the apartment building.
In May this year the author of this article invited OPCW to comment on the unpublished report of the engineering sub-team, but received no answer.
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This article was previously published in Dutch by Novini.nl. Photography by Eric van de Beek.
Speaker Wolfang Sobotka and Premier Armin Laschet accompanied by Ambassador Dr. Peter Huber – Picture by Land NRW
Friday, 12 July 2019, DĂŒsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia: NRW Premier Armin Laschet received the Speaker of the Austrian National Council, Wolfgang Sobotka, for a bilateral meeting at the State Chancellery. Following Speaker Sobotka’s signing NRW dignitaries’ guest book, both sides exchanged views on the current situation in their countries, and in Europe at large in the aftermath of the European elections, and the constituency of the new legislature.
As per statement below Premier Armin Laschet remarked: “The Speaker of the National Council, Wolfgang Sobotka, and I agree that it is important that the European Union has a Commission capable of acting quickly. This Commission must effectively address pressing issues such as climate and energy policy, digitisation, internal and external security and sustainable development”.
Further topics in the talks between the Premier Laschet and Speaker Sobotka were the domestic political situations in both countries as well as digitisation, and broadband expansion in North Rhine-Westphalia and Austria.Â
As Speaker of the National Council, the Chamber of Deputies of the Austrian Parliament, Wolfgang Sobotka is the fourth highest representative of the Republic of Austria. In addition to Wolfgang Sobotka, Dr. Peter Huber, Austrian Ambassador to Germany, Martin Eichtinger, Minister for Housing, the Labour Market, Europe and Regional Policy, and Karl Wilfing, Speaker of the Lower Austrian Diet, partook in the meeting in NRW.Â
The Austrian delegation visited DĂŒsseldorf on the fringe of a trip to the Rietberg, Bad Driburg and Hombroich Island Museum garden show parks in North Rhine-Westphalia. The latter are partner gardens in the Europe-wide garden network EGHN (European Garden Heritage Network) of more than 190 gardens, which was initiated by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia and is managed by the foundation Stiftung Schloss Dyck.
