Victims of International Crimes

Conference of the International Research and Documentation Center for War Crimes Trials in Marburg

Recent years have seen a significant growth in the recognition of the importance of victims, victim protection and victim participation in the processing of massive human rights violations. Since the Nuremberg Trials, the major focus of coming to terms with the past has been on the criminal prosecution of the perpetrators. Criminal law, in the classical sense, is mainly directed towards the identification, prosecution and re-socialisation of the perpetrator and thereby runs the risk of losing sight of the victim. The early 1990s heralded in a new era, at the national policy level in a number of countries, which initiated a gradual process of integrating the victim into criminal proceedings, and this process continues today. At the ICC, victim participation is an obligatory element of criminal proceedings. A victim is not only a witness to a crime but can also play an active role in the proceedings, also with the further aim of being obtaining reparation. To this end, the ICC has established the Trust Fund for Victims.

International criminal law can no longer be considered in an isolated manner; rather it must prove itself in the social context of transition. In processes of transitional justice, the societal demands and expectations are much broader than the criminal prosecution of the major perpetrators. At the same time one should question how a society interacts with the victim and inquire as to the victim's view of such processes of transition. The question remains unsolved, as to whether the special circumstances and expectations of victims are better addressed by non-penal means and approaches. Alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, tort litigation and truth commissions are yet to be as thoroughly tested in this regard. Just as important is the question of victim empowerment. The development of international networks for the representation of victims' interests was not only demonstrated at the 1998 Diplomatic Conference in Rome for the establishment of the ICC, but can also be observed in the work of national and international NGOs in various conflict regions, such as Cambodia and Uganda.

This conference addresses both legal and social-political topics that frequently overlap. We have thus invited renowned international practitioners and academics to this end. Over the three days the conference covers the following seven topics:
- Victimisation in mass atrocities
- Victims in processes of transitional justice
- The role of civil society actors
- Legal and political definitions of the victim
- Victim protection in criminal procedure
- Victim participation in criminal prosecution
- Victims' rights and peace

The purpose of this conference is to discuss the situation of victims of serious human rights violations and to further enhance their role in processes of social transition. The primary motivation for organising such a conference is to establish an interdisciplinary approach, which has been lacking in academic discourse to date.
We cannot hold a symposium on crimes against humanity in Germany without having an element in remembrance of the victims of the holocaust. To this end we want to combine the historic experiences in Germany with the question of developing a culture of remembrance.

Location: University of Marburg, Alte Aula, Marburg

Registration: victimco@staff.uni-marburg.de, please contact by 1st September 2011

Fees: 50 Euros. (20 Euros for students and legal trainees)