Law students experience the International Courts during study visit

30th January 2017

Northumbria Law School students have recently returned from the Netherlands after visiting the International Courts and Tribunals in The Hague, The Netherlands.

The trip included visits to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), the International Criminal Court (ICC), the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Students were also able to attend important live hearings, relating to charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity, and the Ayyash et al.’s hearing which is a case concerning an attack on the former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. As part of their experience, students met with prestigious judges including Judge Flavia Lattanzi, the President of the International Criminal Court and Judge David Baragwanath who is the former President of the STL and an International Patron for the Northumbria Centre for Evidence and Criminal Justice Studies.

Northumbria Law School students at The Hague with Dr Mohamed Badar and Judge Flavia Lattanzi, President of the International Criminal Court (centre).

The trip was led and co-ordinated by Doctor Mohamed Badar and Doctor Nicola Wake from Northumbria Law School. Dr. Badar said: “This was an informative and powerful experience, enriching their learning and bringing to life the theory behind the International Criminal Law Module of their course. The trip further opened doors for the students in terms of internships at these tribunals. They were introduced to the system and will be able to apply more confidently for such positions in the future.”

Third-year student Lauren Hartley said: “Our recent study trip to The Hague was an invaluable experience and an opportunity to observe things in real life that we been taught in lectures. We were lucky enough to receive talks from both the prosecution and the defence for the international crimes tried in these courts. It was particularly interesting to hear problems faced by each side, and the potential positive aspects of defending people accused of international crimes. We also visited the Special Tribunal for Lebanon and the International Court of Justice - both of which were especially interesting to hear about.
Overall I feel that this trip has confirmed my ambition to practice in international criminal law, and my next step is to try and complete an internship with the International Criminal Court.”

This trip will inform future events in the field of international human rights and international criminal law. This includes a one-day seminar on ‘Human Trafficking and Modern Day Slavery’ organised by Dr. Nicola Wake, and the Northumbria Law School Summer Academy on Contemporary Challenges to International Criminal Justice, taking place in June 2017 organised by Dr. Badar and Professor Sue Farran.