The Siracusa International Institute’s 19th Specialization Course in International Criminal Law on “Human Rights and Criminal Justice” opened on June 3rd in the presence of 60 participants from 33 countries across the world, including Argentina, China, Egypt, France, Germany, New Zealand, Qatar, Russia,United States, Uganda. The course is sponsored by the International Association of Penal Law (France), the University of Palermo Department of Law (Italy), the Irish Centre for Human Rights, National University of Ireland (Ireland) and Middlesex University Department of Law (UK), the Canadian Partnership for International Justice and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
The opening ceremony started on Monday morning with the remarks of Mr. Filippo Musca, Acting Director General of the Institute. Additional remarks were then given by Mr. Francesco Italia, Mayor of Siracusa and by Professor William Schabas, Course Director.
Professor Schabas will coordinate the fourteen working sessions of the course together with ten leading international experts, including Professor John Vervaele, President of the International Association of Penal Law (AIDP) and Professor in Economic and European Criminal Law at Utrecht University (The Netherlands), Judge David Re, President of the Trial Chamber at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, Professor Margaret deGuzman, Associate Professor of Law at the Temple University (USA) and Professor Salvatore Zappalà, Professor of International Law at the University of Catania and former Legal Adviser to the Permanent Mission of Italy to the United Nations.
The course will finish on Sunday june 9th and it will also include a moot court competition on the topics dealt throughout the course, so that participants can test their knowledge, preparation and oratory skills.
