Summer Law Program in The Hague
on International Criminal Law and Legal Approaches to Terrorism
Please click "Learn More" below to find out how to enroll in this year's program.
WCRO Director Susana SáCouto Co-leads Workshops in Bogotá in Support of Colombia’s Special Jurisdiction for Peace
October 2, 2024.
On September 26 and 27, Professor SáCouto traveled to Bogotá, Colombia, to conduct a series of workshops and meetings with colleagues from the Laboratorio de Justicia Política y Criminal (a Colombia-based non-profit organization with expertise providing technical assistance to transitional and criminal justice mechanisms, and law enforcement agencies) for magistrates and staff of Colombia’s Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP). These activities are part of a multi-year State Department-funded initiative titled“Enhancing the Impact of Colombia’s Special Jurisdiction for Peace through a Holistic Transitional Justice Approach,”which was recently extended for an additional two years. The project has four key objectives: 1) strengthening the capacity of the JEP to redress atrocity crimes committed during the Colombian conflict, in particular, by those who facilitated, ordered or failed to prevent or punish those crimes; 2) ensuring the JEP’s cases reflect a gender perspective and intersectional approach; 3) enhancing victim participation in JEP processes; and 4) bolstering current efforts to ensure that victims have access to competent and independent legal representation.
Career Power Hour
September 12, 2024.
On September 12, WCRO Director SáCouto moderated a Career Power Hour sponsored by theWar Crimes Research Office (WCRO)andOffice of Career & Professional Development.The session featured WCRO alumni council members sharing their career journeys, valuable advice, and tips on navigating the human rights, international humanitarian law and international criminal law field. This amazing panelists include:Vy Nguyen( JD '15),Tara Vassefi(JD '16),Ali Boyd(JD '19) andKate Holcombe(JD '18).The event offered a fantastic opportunity for students to engage in 1-on-1 conversations with these esteemed professionals, learning firsthand about "a day in the life" in HR/IHL/ICLlegal career paths.
WCRO Co-Sponsors Symposium with 51 International Law Review Titled: "The Longest Arm: Universal Jurisdiction and War Crimes Prosecution"
April 5, 2024
On Friday, April 5th, the WCRO co-sponsored the full-day symposium, The Longest Arm: Universal Jurisdiction and War Crimes Prosecution with WCL’s 51 International Law Review. The event brought together practitioners, students, and scholars to explore the use of universal jurisdiction (UJ) to address atrocity crimes. WCRO Assistant Director Natalie Coburn welcomed attendees on behalf of the Office and introduced a panel addressing the factors that trigger the use of UJ. The day closed with a discussion on UJ trends and applicability to the war in Ukraine as well as to the Syrian regime’s brutal crackdown on dissent since 2011.
WCRO Director SáCouto Chairs a Session at the International Conference of Prosecutors on Accountability for Conflict-Related Sexual Violence
March 27, 2024
On March 27, WCRO Director SáCouto chaired a session at the 3-day International Conference of Prosecutors on Accountability for Conflict-Related Sexual Violence, organized by the UN Team of Experts on Rule of Law/Sexual Violence in Conflict and co-sponsored by the governments of The Netherlands, United Kingdom and France, held at the Peace Palace in The Hague. The session featured a discussion with two Guatemalan prosecutors who played a critical role in the landmark Sepur Zarco case, which provided redress for indigenous victims of sexual violence and sexual slavery that occurred during Guatemala’s civil war.
WCRO Director SáCouto Participates In Conversation about “Putin’s Ghost Army: Prospects for Accountability for Russian Irregulars”
March 21, 2024
On March 21, WCRO Director SáCouto joined Beth VanSchaack, State Department Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice, and Candace Rondeaux, Senior Director of the Future Frontlines program at New America, for a conversation about “Putin’s Ghost Army: Prospects for Accountability for Russian Irregulars” at an in-person luncheon co hosted by New America, the McCain Institute and the War Crimes Research Office and moderated by Paul Fagan, Director of Democracy Programs at the McCain Institute.
The WCRO Hosts Panel on "Afghan Women Lawyers and Judges: Where They Were and Where They Are Now"
March 6, 2024
The War Crimes Research Office hosted a panel on "Afghan Women Lawyers and Judges: Where They Were and Where They Are Now," co-sponsored by the International Association of Women Judges and the American Bar Association Section of International Law's International Human Rights Committee. The panel, which included three Afghan women judges and lawyers, was moderated by former Alaska State Superior Court Judge Bev Cutler. Opening remarks were presented by WCRO Director Susana SáCouto and closing remarks by WCL LL.M. Wendy Taube.
WCL Students Jack Kirk, Mandy Spiegel and Amal Rass Make It to the Semifinals of the Jean-Pictet International Humanitarian Law Competition
March 3, 2024
From 25 February to 3 March 2024, WCL competed in the Jean-Pictet International Humanitarian Law Competition held in Bredene, Belgium. The team was represented by WCL JD students Jack Kirk, Mandy Spiegel, and Amal Rass. The Jean-Pictet Competition is a simulation-based legal competition designed to raise awareness of international humanitarian law (IHL) and real-world challenges facing IHL practitioners. The competition tests knowledge of IHL and other areas of public international law through role-playing exercises based on a hypothetical case study arising out of armed conflict. The 2023-2024 competition hosted 28 teams, including four from the United States: WCL, Georgetown University Law Center, Santa Clara University School of Law, and Pennsylvania State University School of Law. The WCL team was one of only four teams from their section to make it to the semifinals! The team was coached by 51WCL’s War Crimes Research Office and WCL alum Vy Nguyen (JD ’15), as well as Jean-Pictet alum Ben Crawford (3L).