REDRESS is pleased to announce the conference ‘Justice for victims and accountability for torturers: past, present and future strategies’, which will take place from 2 to 6 pm, on 29 September 2016, at The Carlton Ambassador Hotel in The Hague, the Netherlands.

The conference will reflect on a range of approaches taken to afford justice to victims and to hold those responsible for torture to account, and to identify potential strategies for the way forward.

It draws on experiences in several countries and situations, and brings together lawyers and other experts with direct knowledge and experiences of regional, hybrid and domestic efforts and mechanisms.

Paul Lomas, Chair of the Board of REDRESS NEDERLAND and a Senior Partner at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP, will open the conference.

The first session, from 14:10 to 15:45, will focus on ‘Establishing Post Conflict accountability structures’. 

Speakers will include: Jacqueline Moudeina, victims lawyer in the Hissène Habré case at the Extraordinary African Chambers in Senegal, who will speak about her victims’ quest for justice in Chad; Carsten Weber, of the UN Department for Peacekeeping Operations, who will discuss the rationale for the establishment of the Special Criminal Court in Central African Republic; Gaelle Carayon, Post-Conflict Policy Advisor at REDRESS, who will speak about the International Criminal Court as a possible avenue for justice and reparation; and Silke Studzinsky, Head of the Victims Participation Office at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, who will focus on what lessons can be learned from the Extraordinary Chambers of the Courts of Cambodia.

The second session, ‘Pursuing justice for victims within the national justice system’, from 14:00 to 17:55 pm, will be moderated by Gérard Dive, Head of the Belgian Central Authority for the Cooperation with the International Criminal Court and President of the Belgian Task Force for International Criminal Justice.

Speakers will include: Juergen Schurr, Head of Law and Policy at REDRESS, who will share REDRESS’ experiences litigating on behalf of one victim of extraordinary rendition by the Central Intelligence Agency, Mustafa al-Hawsawi; Matevz Pezdirc, Coordinator of the EU Genocide Network, who will speak about the strategies towards accountability and justice for torture and other international crimes committed in Syria, including the use of extra-territorial jurisdiction; Henry Komakech, a victims lawyer in Uganda, who will discuss how to strengthen national capacity to investigate, prosecute and try international crimes and the Thomas Kwoyelo trial; and Milica Kostić, Legal Programme Director at the Humanitarian Law Centre in Serbia, who will speak about the War Crimes Chamber in Serbia.

REDRESS Director Carla Ferstman will deliver the closing remarks, which will be followed by a reception.

The full programme is available at: http://www.redress.org/downloads/justice-for-victims-and-accountability-for-torturers.pdf?utm_source=smartmail&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=

The conference will mark the opening of REDRESS new office in The Hague and REDRESS NEDERLAND, a new charitable body registered under Dutch Law. This new venture will strengthen REDRESS’ work with international organisations, contribute to ongoing work in Europe and will help REDRESS meet its objectives to support torture survivors worldwide.

It will also bolster REDRESS’ long-term work in The Hague to ensure that victims’ rights are protected and respected throughout the International Criminal Court’s judicial process.

The conference is supported by the Open Society Foundations Human Rights Initiative, the City of The Hague and the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Attendance is welcomed from researchers, academics, practitioners and postgraduate students. To express your interest or to RSVP please email info@redress.org asap.