Philippe Kirsch, President of International Criminal Court, to speak at Case School of Law
Kirsch to Receive International Humanitarian Award Following Speech
November 1, 2005 | For more information: Jeff Bendix 216-368-6070
Philippe Kirsch, president of the International Criminal Court (ICC), will make a rare appearance in the United States to deliver the Frederick K. Cox International Law Center Lecture in Global Legal Reform at Case School of Law.
The lecture, "The International Criminal Court: Independence in a Context of Interdependence," will take place Monday, November 7 from 12:00-1:00 p.m. in room A59 of the law school, 11075 East Blvd., Cleveland. It is free and open to the public, and one hour of CLE credit is available at no charge. It will also be webcast live at http://law.case.edu/lectures and be available for subsequent viewing.
Following his speech, Kirsch will be presented with the Cox center's second annual International Humanitarian Award for Advancing Global Justice. Last year's recipient of the prestigious award was Hans Corell, under-secretary-general for legal affairs and legal counsel to the United Nations from 1994-2004.
"Judge Kirsch has been instrumental in furthering the rule of law among nations around the globe," said Gerald Korngold, dean and McCurdy Professor of Law. "For that reason, and for his career as a distinguished jurist and diplomat, we are pleased to present him with this year's Cox Humanitarian Award."
"Philippe Kirsch is considered the founding father of the International Criminal Court," added Michael Scharf, professor and director of the Cox Center. "He chaired the Rome Diplomatic Conference to establish the International Criminal Court in 1998, and was elected to be its first president and member of its Appeals Chamber. There would be no ICC if it were not for the skillful way Judge Kirsch handled the negotiations at Rome."
Kirsch will be introduced by Case Professor Henry King, who was a prosecutor at Nuremberg, the world's first international war crimes tribunal; and by Scharf, who was nominated for the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize for his work aiding in the prosecution of major war criminals such as Slobodan Milosevic, Charles Taylor, and Saddam Hussein.
A lawyer and career diplomat, Kirsch previously served as Canada's ambassador to Sweden, and was legal advisor of the Canadian Foreign Ministry. According to Scharf, "Judge Kirsch has presided over the negotiation of more major multilateral treaties than perhaps any other living diplomat, including the Convention on the Protection of United Nations Personnel, the Convention on the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings, the Maritime Terrorism Treaty, and the Convention Establishing the ICC."
Established in 2002 and located in The Hague, the ICC has jurisdiction over war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. It has been the subject of episodes of TV series such as "The West Wing" and "JAG," and was recently featured in the movie, "The Interpreter," starring Nicole Kidman.
The ICC has been a controversial topic for the Bush administration, which opposes the court for fear that it could bring politically motivated prosecutions against U.S. officials. But last March the United States permitted the U.N. Security Council to refer the Darfur situation to the ICC for prosecution, thereby implicitly recognizing the court's legitimacy and usefulness to American foreign policy. The ICC is currently preparing cases for prosecution involving Darfur, Congo, and Uganda.
For further information call (216) 368-6619 or (800) 492-3308, e-mail nancy.prattkantor@case.edu or visit http://law.case.edu/lectures.
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