The conference and workshop were cancelled due to political developments in the region.
International Media Conference
23 – 24 November, 2011
Kuwait Lawyers Association
Media Workshop
27 November – 1 December 2011
With the help of the German Embassy in Kuwait and the financial support of the the German Federal Foreign Office
International media conference
The two days of the conference are designed for local journalists/editors from Kuwait, and 15 senior journalists from Libya, Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and other Arab States of the GCC. Other participants will include civil society representatives, international criminal law specialists and members of the Diplomatic Corps.
Media workshop
The 5-day media workshop is designed for 18 field reporters from radio and print, from Kuwait and Libya. It will focus on the journalistic skills needed to cover international criminal justice issues, to report responsibly and to promote ethical journalism.
International and local guest speakers
During the media conference, national and international high profile guest speakers will visit and address the conference participants. After their respective presentations, the guest speakers will engage with the audience in a Q & A session. The journalists will then have the opportunity to interview the speakers.
The resulting materials will become an integral part of the final production of audiovisual and press reports at the end of the workshop.
Topics to be addressed
- How to address issues of accountability and impunity? Does the present leadership in transformation states intend or plan to prosecute their former rulers in national courts, or are these new rulers going to abide by the rules of international criminal justice? Could the principle of “positive complementarity” finally be put into practice, thereby acknowledging possible Arab sovereignty concerns and helping consolidate their own independent judicial systems rather than having the suspects tried at The Hague?
- In the Arab world, the ICC has a serious image problem when it comes to its goal of universality. Why do so many countries still believe that there is a double standard in place, with the ICC selectively prosecuting some cases and showing reluctance to hear others that affect the interests of influential States Parties and non-States Parties?
- What is and/or should be the UN Security Council’s role in activating the Court’s jurisdiction? What is the position of the Arab countries regarding the addition of the crime of aggression to the list of the court’s prosecutable offences?
- Immunity rights and amnesties: can international tribunals strip heads of state of their immunity?
Download full program here
