Field Trip to The Hague

Published on 17 June 2015

Recently, a group of students from the School of Law and Social Justice took part in a trip to The Hague in order to visit international law institutions such as the International Criminal Court, the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, the Special Tribunal for Lebanon and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. During the trip, students attended a lecture by Mr Peter Robinson, the legal advisor to Dr Radovan Karadzic who currently stands trial at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia on charges of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. The lecture provided a very interesting overview of the challenges in ensuring that the due process rights of the accused are respected. The other highlight of the trip was a meeting with Mr Mark Dillon, the Head of the Evidence Unit in the Office of the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court. Overall, the trip was a great opportunity for students to bridge the gap between the theory and practice of international law. In particular, the trip provided an interactive pragmatic approach to imparting international law by enabling students to explore the institutions in-depth and discuss with lawyers their opinions and ideas in-depth.