On 11 June 2018, a group of 12 LLM and ELLM students travelled to The Hague with Associate Professor Dr Devika Hovell for three days to engage with judges and practitioners working in international courts, tribunals and organisations.
The trip involved meeting judges from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Criminal Court (ICC), including (from the ICJ) the Vice-President of the Court Judge Xue Hanquin, Judge Peter Tomka and Judge Giorgio Gaja, and (from the ICC) Judge Bertram Schmitt. The students also met with Ms Meital Nir-Tal, Legal Adviser to the Embassy of Israel in The Hague and the Palestinian Ambassasor, Mrs Rawan Sulaiman at the Palestinian Mission to the Kingdom of the Netherlands. There were conversations with Mr Andre Stemmet, Legal Counsellor to the South African Embassy in The Hague and several prosecutors at both the Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals and the International Criminal Court, including Katrina Gustafson (Senior Appeals Counsel, MICT); Carol Gammie (Legal Officer, MICT), and Julian Elderfield (Assistant Trial Lawyer, ICC).
Here are some of the highlights from the students who attended.
Kiah Van der Loos (Canada) “‘ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳ in The Hague is an invaluable experience for LLM students of International Dispute Resolution and International Criminal Law courses. It takes students out of the classroom and beyond the theoretical to learn directly from experts and judges currently applying concepts to practice.”
Febechi Chukwu (UK) “The opportunity to discuss some key points of public international law with some of the world experts was truly a once in a lifetime opportunity. I really appreciate you extending the trip to ELLM students also, and I really hope more ELLM students take part in the future.”
Surpreet Kaur (India) “I loved the fact that our group was so diverse and as an Indian, for whom these International institutions are so distant geographically as well as financially, it was nothing but a dream come true to be a part of this wonderful educational experience and I hope it keeps on inspiring others from countries like mine towards International law, contributing further to the International community.”
Anna Whaley (New Zealand) “Talking to Judge Schmitt at the dinner table over a glass of wine about his experience as an ICC judge [was one highlight for me]. We discussed from his campaign for appointment (including the various speeches he gave and trips and visits he made to diplomats in New York and the Hague), his dealings with lawyers and other judges in the ICC, how he thought the court worked well and areas where it could improve, with a particular focus on victim justice.”
Elena Kholina (Russia) “For me, it was especially informative to see a contrast between the International Criminal Court, International Court of Justice and Special Tribunal for Lebanon.”
Islam Attia (Egypt) “The trip was vital as it supplemented the knowledge I acquired in class with practical insights from judges, prosecutors, attorneys and law clerks working in these [international] courts and tribunals.”
Silvia Campigotto (Italy) “…the trip was an insight into the everyday life of international law. More than ever I realised that international law is what international lawyers (judges, legal officers or advisers) do… The Israeli legal officer and the Palestinian head of mission were imaginatively in conversation with each other, presenting, respectively, legal and political arguments on the conflict.”
Elizabeth Meade (New Zealand) “I loved visiting the International Criminal Court hearing from Judge Schmitt. Few things make what you have read about and discussed in class come alive more than having such an engaging, passionate and impressive Judge talk about his experiences and the challenges of his work.”
Sergio Mattos (Peru) “I felt privileged to meet and listen to the talks gave by Judges Xue Hanquin, Peter Tomka, and Giorgio Gaja, concerning the importance of language at the International Court of Justice, the role of women, the history of the Court, and jurisdiction issues, among other topics.”
Héctor Tejero Tobed (Spain) “As [a] highlight, I will underline the meeting with the legal adviser of the Israeli Embassy, as it allowed us to gain firsthand knowledge on Israeli position in the conflict and to make questions and exchange ideas on highly controversial issues.”
“ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳ in The Hague” enriches the study of international law at ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳ by enabling students to meet with, learn from and develop contacts with current practitioners in international organisations in The Hague. The students involved showed great appreciation to have the chance to participate in such a valuable experience.