Nieuwsbericht | 09-02-2010
Justice in motion: From Nuremberg to The Hague and Beyond.
Conference Erasmus Prize 2009
Justice in motion: From Nuremberg to The Hague and Beyond
Every year the Erasmus Prize is awarded to a person or an institution that has made an exceptional contribution to culture in Europe. The Praemium Erasmianum Foundation awards the prize and also organizes several cultural activities around the annual award ceremony.
One of these activities was a conference which was held at the Peace Palace on 12. November:Justice in motion: From Nuremberg to The Hague and Beyond.
This conference reflected on major themes and challenges of justice that have preoccupied the recipients of the 2009 Erasmus Prize; the Italian jurist Antonio Cassese and the American jurist Benjamin Ferencz.
Benjamin Ferencz gave a keynote speech in the morning session on aggression as an international crime: ‘From ‘crimes against peace’ to the ‘crime of aggression’. Afterwards a discussion was opened about the historical, societal and legal challenges of aggression as an international crime. (chair: Jorge Lomonaco, vice president of the Assembly of state parties of the ICC) The session also revisited historical and modern understandings of aggression. It also examined its prospects of codification, based on experiences from Nuremberg and the negotiations to the Review Conference in 2010. The upcoming Review Conference in 2010 markes an unique oppurtunity to arrive at a new definition of aggression.
The afternoon session focussed on the role and mandate of international courts and tribunals, including the relationship between judical independence and legitimacy. A particular focus was placed on experience and policies of different courts and tribunals since Nuremberg and the distinct roles of judges and prosecutors in the international courts. The second prize winner of the Erasmus prize, Antonio Cassese, was the keynote speaker on these subjects. Participants on the discussion afterwards were Judge Theodor Meron (ICTY), Judge Barney Afako (Immigration judge UK), Judge Brenda Hollis (SCSL) and Judge Christine van den Wyngaert (ICC).
HRH Princess Margriet was present at the conference to meet with the two recipients of theEramus Prize 2009.
On 13. November HRH Prince of Orange presented the prize to Antonio Cassese and Benjamin Ferencz at Paleis Noordeinde.
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