A Bench named “Law not War” – a story of Benjamin Ferencz’s quest to replace the “rule of force with the rule of law”

Editor
-
0
A Bench named “Law not War” – a story of Benjamin Ferencz’s quest to replace the “rule of force with the rule of law”
Benjamin and Donald Ferencz. By Dr. Nevenka Tromp, University of Amsterdam On a sunny day in May of 2019, a wooden bench overlooking the Peace Palace was officially presented to a small but distinguished audience. It was a present from Benjamin Ferencz, the last surviving prosecutor of the Nazi crimes to the city of The Hague. The donor, a vibrant 98 years old lawyer and activist, flew from the US, more precisely Florida, to be personally present at the event. Everything about the bench was carefully planned by its donor and a small creative team led by his son Donald Ferencz. The bench is made of wooden blocks, that resemble the form the bricks of the Peace Palace building. In the middle of it there are metal letters “LAW NOT WAR” The long bench curves elegantly on the street in front of the high iron fence, giving its users a beautiful view of the Peace Palace building. Its shape is such that people can sit on its both sides.
Benjamir Ferencz and Fatou Bensuda, Prosecutor of the ICC.
  Not far from the bench, at the first street corner, starts Benjamin Ferencz pad. Namely in May 2017 the city of The Hague honored, then 97 old Ferencz with a path named after him. The typical blue-and-white street board points invitingly towards the park that surrounds the Peace Palace building. Ferencz has been a fixture in The Hague vibrant international legal scene ever since the city profiled itself as a world capital of peace and justice in the early 1990s. He was for decades heavily involved in the lobbying efforts to create a permanent international criminal court and he greeted the affirmation of the Rome Statute in 1998 with the words that “an international criminal court – the missing link in the world legal order – is within our grasp.” Indeed, in 2002 the International Criminal Court (the ICC) was created.
Benjamin Ferencz pad
But Ferencz had yet another mission to fulfil. Along with his son Donald, and a group of distinguished scholars, lawyers and diplomats, he rallied vigorously and intensively to add to the ICC Statute – crime of aggression. And they succeed. As of July 2018, crime of aggression became the fourth crime – next to war crimes, crime against humanity, and genocide – under the ICC’s jurisdiction. Not insignificant for the story is the fact that this was a historical development in the international criminal justice given that it is first time since Nuremberg’s Nazi trials that an international tribunal has been enabled to prosecute crime of aggression. Ferenczstarted his legal career in 1947 in Nuremberg and at age 27 he became the youngest US prosecutor to prosecute the Nazi crimes. This extraordinary beginning of his professional life will mark Ferencz. The evidence he encountered in his work made him feel that he had peeked through he door of Inferno. After the war he moved to New York where he practiced law in a private firm until 1975, when he finished the book Defining International Aggression-The Search for World Peace. More books followed and his ideas led to activism of which the creation of the ICC and inclusion of crime of aggression in the ICC statute are –are his most extraordinary achievements. Benjamin Ferencz showed us that law can change the way how people think and behave.    

Mauboussin on Rue Trivoli in Paris

Editor
-
0
Mauboussin on Rue Trivoli in Paris
Tiara for Princess Marie of Denmark – Picture by Mauboussin.
Thursday, 13 December 2018, Paris: French jewereller Mauboussin decided to expand its Parisian network with a further boutique on Rue Trivoli, a third in the French capital after the ones on the Champs-Elysées and rue de la Paix.
This third boutique is designed with a homely atmosphere, almost as a jewerelly case in light colours to contrast the natural brilliance of the jewels. To open the boutique HRH Princess Marie of Denmark, Countess af Monpezat, made the trip to Paris. One ought to remark that in September 2018 the princess wore a Mauboussin diadem in white gold, ornamented with 13,15 carats of diamonds as well as 13,58 carats of sapphires created for the French state visit to Denmark.   For further information:  Mauboussin 140 rue de Rivoli, FR-75001 PARIS 

H.E. Laura Dupuy Lasserre, Ambassador of Uruguay

Diplomat Magazine
-
0
H.E. Laura Dupuy Lasserre, Ambassador of Uruguay

On the 23rd of January 2019, H.E. Ambassador Laura Dupuy Lasserre presented to His Majesty the King Willem-Alexander the Letter of Credence accrediting her as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Uruguay to the Kingdom of Netherlands. She is a career diplomat and has been promoted in the Foreign Service through successive opposition and merit exams.

Ambassador Dupuy has a degree in International Relations from the University of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay (1986-1990), as well as a legal studies degree from the same university. She is fluent in Spanish (her native language), and has taken advanced courses in French and English, being fluent in both these languages as well. She has also taken a basic course in Portuguese.

On February 5, 2019, she presented credentials to the Director General of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, H.E. Mr Fernando Arias, accrediting her as Permanent Representative of Uruguay to the OPCW. Ambassador Dupuy was also Vice President of the 24th Conference of the States Parties from 2019 to 2020, and the co-facilitator on governance issues from 2020 to 2021.

H.E. Ms. Laura Dupuy Lasserre, Ambassador of Uruguay.

Before this, Ambassador Dupuy was the Director General of Technical and Administrative Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Relations of Uruguay, from March 2nd, 2015, to April 3rd, 2017, and responsible for information security as well as the MFR Representative at the National Council on Gender.

To add, she co-chaired the Global LGBTI Human Rights Conference in Montevideo, Uruguay, from the 13th to the 16th of July 2016. The conference focused on non-violence, non-discrimination, and social inclusion. This conference was co-organized by Uruguay and the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Ambassador Dupuy participated in several other seminars and conferences this same year, including involvement in the first meeting of the Equal Rights Coalition at The Hague, Netherlands in November 2016.

Ambassador Dupuy was President of the United Nations Humans Rights Council from June 2011 to December 2012, having been nominated by the GRULAC, as the first woman to serve this position. Ambassador Dupuy has also held the position of Permanent Representative of Uruguay to the Office of the United Nations and other Specialized Organizations from October 2009 to October 2014.

She was also President-Rapporteur of the Social Forum 2010 of the United Nations Human Rights Council: “Climate Change and Human Rights,” in Geneva, Switzerland from October 4th to October 6th in 2010, as well as the Vice President at the Bureau of the Basel Convention on the control of trans-boundary movements of hazardous wastes and their disposal from 2013 to 2015.

Ambassador Dupuy has served a multitude of other positions, including Director of Environment at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uruguay, Director of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, Director for the Americas, as well as Alternate Representative to the Organization of American States and much more.

In addition, she also has experience working in the private sector, focusing on administration, and accounting and has given academic conferences and published articles on human rights. Among these articles, include the article “The Universal Declaration on Human Rights and The Contribution by Uruguay, in its 60th Anniversary,” published in the Foreign Policy magazine of the Foreign Service Association for the 2008/2009 edition and an article titled “Personal Commitment to Human Rights and Political Will to Think Creatively, Key to Successful HRC Presidency,” for HRC Monitor magazine, special edition for the tenth anniversary of the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2016.

Ambassador Dupuy was born in Montevideo, Uruguay, is married and has one son.

The United Arab Emirates, H.E. Ambassador Dr Hissa Abdulla Ahmed Alotaiba

Editor
-
0
The United Arab Emirates, H.E. Ambassador Dr Hissa Abdulla Ahmed Alotaiba

Her Exellency Dr Hissa Abdulla Ahmed Alotaiba is the new Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Her previous positions were Ambassador of the UAE to the Holy See, Ambassador of the UAE to the Kingdom of Spain and to the Principality of Andorra.

Her Excellency started her career as the Head of information technology at the internal women’s forum then, she worked as Assistant of Resident representative for Finance Human resources at the United Nations Develpment Programme.

Dr Hissa Abdulla Ahmed Alotaiba studied Business Administration and Computer Data Management. She completed her studies at Cairo University, then at Webster University in Geneva and got her PhD from the University of Lausanne.

Her Excellency has been involved in many diplomatic events and activities throughout her career. She received the “Grand Cross of the Order of Civil Merit” by the king of Spain which is the highest decoration for foreign citizen. This was a recognition for her role as the first Arab Lady Ambassador who strengthened the bilateral relations between Spain and UAE. 

2021 will be an important year for the UAE as it is the Golden Jubilee year which represents  a milestone for a new strategy for the country’s development model. The aim is, for the next fifty years, to include all Emirati community spectrum in shaping the country’s life and archive the goals of the Emirates Centenary.

This national strategy, according to Dr Hissa Abdulla Ahmed Alotaiba, “establishes a culture of excellence and participation in decision-making, and enhancing the spirit of initiative in building the country and achieving this vision through active participation in the upcoming development and qualitative leaps in the national economy, in addition to consolidating the soft power of the UAE”.

Judge Mustapha El Baaj of Morocco elected

Editor
-
0
Judge Mustapha El Baaj of Morocco elected
General Assembly elects Judge Mustapha El Baaj of Morocco to serve as Mechanism Judge Arusha, The Hague, 16 January 2019 – On Tuesday, 15 January 2019, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) elected Judge Mustapha El Baaj of Morocco to the judicial roster of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (Mechanism).
Judge El Baaj is currently serving as a Counsellor at the Court of Cassation in Rabat, Morocco. Judge El Baaj has also served as Deputy Crown Prosecutor-General of Morocco since 2008, a visiting Professor at the Law Faculty of Meknés, Morocco, since 2004 and as First Deputy Crown Prosecutor in The Court of First Instance in Meknés since 1996. Judge El Baaj was elected following the vacancies on the Mechanism’s judicial roster created by the departure of Judge Bakone Justice Moloto of South Africa and the non-renewal of the term of Judge Aydin Sefa Akay of Turkey. On 21 December 2018 the UNGA elected Judge Yusuf Aksar of Turkey from the list of candidates submitted by the United Nations Security Council and following nominations from Member States of the United Nations. In accordance with its Statute, the Mechanism has a roster of 25 independent Judges who serve both branches of the Mechanism.
———————–
UN General Assembly photo Manuel Elias

ICC Appeals Chamber maintains Laurent Gbagbo and Charles Blé Goudé in custody

Editor
-
0
ICC Appeals Chamber maintains Laurent Gbagbo and Charles Blé Goudé in custody
ICC Appeals Chamber maintains Laurent Gbagbo and Charles Blé Goudé in custody and convenes a hearing on their detention on 1 February 2019 The Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Court (“ICC” or ”Court”), by majority, Judge Howard Morrison and Judge Piotr Hofmański dissenting, decided that Mr Laurent Gbagbo and Mr Charles Blé Goudé shall remain in ICC custody pending the Appeals Chamber’s decision on the Prosecution’s Appeal against the decision of ICC Trial Chamber I in relation to the release of Mr Laurent Gbagbo and Mr Charles Blé Goudé following their acquittal. The Appeals Chamber suspended the effect of Trial Chamber I’s decision to release Mr Laurent Gbagbo and Mr Charles Blé Goudé and scheduled a hearing on 1 February 2019 to hear further submissions on the appeal, and ordered the submission of the appeal brief of the Prosecutor no later than 23 January 2019 as well as responses thereto from Mr Gbagbo, Mr Blé Goudé and the victims participating in the proceedings no later than 29 January 2019. Decision on the Prosecutor’s request for suspensive effect of her appeal under article 81(3)(c)(ii) of the Statute and directions on the conduct of the appeal proceedings and Dissenting Opinion of Judge Morrison and Judge Hofmański in respect of the decision on suspensive effect

Judge Carmel Agius assumes office as the new President of the Mechanism

Editor
-
0
Judge Carmel Agius assumes office as the new President of the Mechanism
Arusha, The Hague, 19 January 2019 – On 19 January 2019, Judge Carmel Agius, of Malta, assumed office as President of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (Mechanism), following his appointment by the United Nations Secretary-General on 30 June 2018 to a term expiring on 30 June 2020.
Judge Agius has been a Judge of the Mechanism since its inception in 2012. He also served as a Judge of the Trial Chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) from 2001 and a Judge of the Appeals Chambers of both the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) and the ICTY from 2009 until the Tribunals’ closures in December 2015 and December 2017, respectively.
Judge Agius served as Vice-President of the ICTY from November 2011 until November 2015 and as the final President of the ICTY from November 2015 until its closure in December 2017.
Judge Agius takes over the Presidency of the Mechanism from Judge Theodor Meron, who served as the Mechanism’s President since 2012. Upon assuming the function as President of the Mechanism, Judge Agius expressed his deep gratitude to Judge Meron for his exceptional stewardship of the Mechanism since the very first day of this institution’s existence, noting that it was very much thanks to Judge Meron’s work, leadership and dedication that the vision of the Mechanism as a new and efficient model of international tribunal became a reality. In addition he praised Judge Meron and his staff for all their efforts in making the transition between Presidents exceptionally smooth. Judge Agius underlined that his main priorities as the Mechanism’s President will be ensuring that the residual judicial proceedings are concluded efficiently while maintaining the highest standards of due process; enhancing the Mechanism’s unique mandate through a unified work culture, inter-branch coordination and harmonisation of practices and procedures at both the Arusha and The Hague branches and fostering a positive work environment with a view to encouraging high staff morale and performance.

Uzbekistan and the IWC Usher in the New Year Together

Editor
-
0
Uzbekistan and the IWC Usher in the New Year Together
On the picture, H.E. Mr. Dilyor Khakimov, Ambassador of Uzbekistan. By Catherine Dailey. Last Monday, January 14, the Marriott Hotel in the Hague was the venue for a festive cultural event presented by H.E. Dilyor Kakimov, the Ambassador of Uzbekistan to the Kingdom of Belgium and Head of Mission to the E.U. He is also credited to the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The event featured a musical performance and cultural and culinary programs. Uzbek artisans were also invited to display a wonderful array of handcrafted products from the center of the ancient silk road, which were also available for purchase.
IWC’s members attended in numbers.
Ambassador Kakimov was invited to open the New Year, on behalf of his country, at the January monthly meeting of the International Women’s Club (IWC), by IWC President, Marian Kools-Biezen, and other members of the IWC Executive Board. His Excellency briefly informed the members about the many recent economic developments being made by his President Shavkat Miriziyoyez; emphasizing his government’s openness to international cooperation in order to achieve these goals. He also noted that Uzbekistan is a secular state which recognizes equal rights for women and further noted that these rights are set forth in both the country’s Constitution and many other legal instruments.
Featuring Uzbekistan at IWC Monday conference.
Club members turned out in large numbers to enjoy the ambassador’s program which focussed on tourism. The country’s first Ïnternational Tourism Investment Forum, a two day event, was held in November of last year and was attended by business representatives from some 48 countries. Earlier this month, Diplomat Magazine has reported on these recent developments here and here.
Minister Counselor Ulugbek Agzamov.
To further the development of international tourism, which doubled last year over the previous year, the ambassador announced that the government will introduce a 30 day visa-free travel to EU member states, on February 1, to further promote the country’s globalties. The ambassador’s announcement received an enthusiastic round of applause from the members, some of whom had previously visited the country. In response to the warm reception he received from the members, the ambassador was quick to invite questions from the many ladies attending the event.
Uzbek market at IWC conference.
Minister Counselor Ulugbek Agzamov, presented a short program showcasing the country’s major tourist destinations which include Tashkent, the nation’s capital with a population of three million people; the silk road cities of Samarkand, Khiva and Bukhara; the ancient center of Buddhism in Termezand the Fergana Valley. This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Uzbekistan-at-IWC--768x1024.jpg Khiva, an ancient open air museum city, is home to some 51 monuments and, in 1990, became the first Word Heritage Site in Uzbekistan to be recognized by UNESCO. Khiva is also noteworthy as having been the birthplace of Al-Khwarizmi, the renowned 9th century scholar, geographer, astronomer and father of Algebra. Agzamov explained how to best arrive in Uzbekistan and also made note of the country’s modern high speed inter-city rail network. Uzbekistan Railways, Afrosiyob, utilizes the Spanish Talgo-brand trains, to connect Tashkent with Samarkand. Following the presentations, club members were invited to enjoy a complete buffet luncheon featuring plov, the national dish, paired with a sampling of regional wines.
Goulnara Soultanova, Uzbek pianist.
Music was provided by Uzbek concert pianist, Goulnara Soultanova, who performed three pieces. The first was inspired by the sound of the Dutor, meanining “two strings”, a traditional two stringed musical instrument common to the peoples of Uzbekistan and Central Asia. She chose to play a second piece, composed by a woman, much to the delight of her overwhelmingly female audience.
Tasting Uzbek flavours.
Both Ambassador Kakimov  and Minister Counselor Agzamov warmly encouraged everyone present to visit Uzbekistan at any time of the year—even for skiing, walking and other off-season outdoor activities! The program’s success was clearly apparent by the number of women who lingered to shop, exchange their impressions of day’s event with each other and to admire the crafts exhibition which was open until 6pm.

Ambassador Odette Melono Assumes Office as OPCW Deputy Director- General

Editor
-
0
Ambassador Odette Melono Assumes Office as OPCW Deputy Director- General
THE HAGUE, Netherlands— 15 January 2019 —Ambassador Odette Melono of Cameroon joined the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) yesterday as the as new Deputy Director-General. She is the fourth person to hold this office since the Organisation was established in 1997. She succeeds Ambassador Hamid Ali Rao of India.
The Director-General of the OPCW, H.E. Mr Fernando Arias, extended a warm welcome to the new Deputy Director-General and stated: “I look forward to working with Ambassador Melono during this crucial time for our Organisation and am confident that her insight, experience, and remarkable knowledge of chemical disarmament issues will help us to successfully navigate the challenges ahead.” Ambassador Melono expressed: “I am honoured to join the OPCW as its many achievements have made the world a much safer and secure place. I look forward to working with States Parties, chemical industry, international organisations, civil society, as well as the OPCW staff to ensure our Organisation is fit for purpose as it acts as a vigorous guardian for the norm against chemical weapons.” As Deputy Director-General, Ambassador Melono will provide advice and support to the Director-General in the implementation of his mandate. The OPCW Deputy Director-General line-manages the six divisions of the Technical Secretariat, chairs several administrative and financial committees and meetings, and helps manage the OPCW’s verification regime. Ambassador Melono is a career diplomat and foreign policy expert. Prior to joining the OPCW Technical Secretariat, she served as the Ambassador of the Republic of Cameroon to the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and the Permanent Representative of Cameroon to the OPCW, from 2008 to 2018. She also chaired the OPCW Executive Council from May 2016 to May 2017.  Before her appointment as Ambassador to the Netherlands, Ambassador Melono served at the Presidency of the Republic of Cameroon since 1995.
Nos plus sincères et chaleureuses felicitations!

Eurojust – THB network dismantled

Editor
-
0
Eurojust – THB network dismantled
Portuguese and Spanish judicial authorities, along with the Portuguese Judicial Police and the Spanish Guardia Civil, joined forces to dismantle an international criminal network specialised in trafficking in human beings (THB) in Spain. The criminal network, which was active in the Spanish province of Segovia, forced people into labour in agricultural fields. Eurojust contributed to the successful outcome by coordinating the actions of the national judicial and law enforcement authorities. The Portuguese Criminal Investigation Department of Coimbra (Departamento de investigação e ação penal de Coimbra) initiated and organised the investigation. Eurojust facilitated the investigation by coordinating and supporting the Spanish and Portuguese national authorities. During the operation, the authorities performed nine searches of private residences in Spain and Portugal and seized a large amount of documents, including records of the trafficked people and of their current work situation, as well as material on the organisation of the criminal network. Two firearms were also confiscated. Following the searches, five people were detained and another three members of the criminal network were identified. Further, four people were arrested in Spain and one in Portugal. The operation resulted in the release of ten victims of the criminal network, four in Spain and six in Portugal.
1...427428429...879Page 428 of 879