On 1 December 2026, the International Institute of Social Studies will host a panel discussion on the crucial role of the ICC in the pursuit of justice for international crimes in Palestine, hearing from leading directors of human rights organizations that have closely followed the work of the ICC.
- Date
- Tuesday 1 Dec 2026, 18:00 - 20:00
- Type
- Seminar
- Spoken Language
- English
- Room
- Aula B
- Location
- International Institute of Social Studies
Programme
- Welcome by Jeff Handmaker, ISS
- Introduction by moderator Marieke de Hoon, University of Amsterdam
- Moderated panel discussion
- Q&A
Speakers
- Raji Sourani - Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
- Shawan Jabarin - Al-Haq
- Agnes Callamard - Amnesty International
- Issam Younis - Al Mezan Center for Human Rights
Background
The Nuremberg Trials in Germany, which charged and convicted numerous high-profile officials between 1945 and 1946 for international crimes committed during the Second World War, was a milestone in International Criminal Law (see: Tomuschat 2006).
Together with the Tokyo Trials that were held a few years later and various other ad hoc courts, including the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and the Rwanda Tribunal, Special Court for Sierra Leone and others, these Tribunals lay the institutional and normative groundwork for a permanent International Criminal Court (ICC). The ICC was eventually established in 2002 to prosecute international crimes, following a requisite number of State ratifications through the 1998 Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
Discussing the crucial role of the ICC in the pursuit of justice for international crimes in Palestine
Recently, the ICC has come under immense pressure, particularly by the United States of America that has imposed sanctions on individuals working for or with the ICC, as well as institutional sanctions that aim to meet the objective of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to dismantle the ICC 'brick by brick'.
Views on the ICC have been wide-ranging, including as a tool for global justice. However, its biggest tests so far have been in relation to its investigation into Palestine. During this event, participants will discuss the crucial role of the ICC in the pursuit of justice for international crimes in Palestine, hearing from leading directors of human rights organizations that have closely followed the work of the ICC.