Richard Goldstone to Talk on War Crimes Trials in London on May 3

Richard Goldstone, former Chief Prosecutor of the War Crimes Tribunals for former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, will speak on the subject “Do War Crimes Trials Do More Harm than Good?” in London on Thursday, May 3.  The lecture is organized by the Crimes of War Project in collaboration with the Centre for the Study of Human Rights at the London School of Economics, where the event will take place.

The past decade has seen enormous advances in the field of international justice, with tribunals for former Yugoslavia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone and the establishment of the International Criminal Court.  Intuitively the idea of war crimes trials has enormous appeal, promising accountability for war crimes and other mass atrocities.  But some people are now questioning whether war crimes trials can be politically harmful, since they may stand in the way of amnesties that can help to end conflict.

The debate over war crimes trials has focused particularly on northern Uganda, where the Lord’s Resistance Army has conducted a long and brutal campaign of violence and abduction against civilians.  The leader of the LRA, Joseph Kony, has been indicted by the International Criminal Court along with his senior officials, and he says he will not conclude a peace agreement with the government unless they guarantee that he will not face trial on war crimes charges.

In his talk, Richard Goldstone will address the current challenges to war crimes trials and discuss whether international justice should be pursued in all possible situations.

Following his talk, there will be a response by Leslie Vinjamuri, assistant professor at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and a visiting fellow in the Centre for the Study of Human Rights, and comments by Anthony Dworkin, executive director of the Crimes of War Project.  The meeting will be chaired by Conor Gearty, Rausing Director of the Centre for the Study of Human Rights.

The lecture will take place on Thursday May 3, 2007 from 6.30-8.00pm at the Old Theatre, Old Building, London School of Economics. 

The event is free and open to all, with no ticket or pre-registration required. You are advised to arrive 20-30 minutes early, to maximise your chances of gaining entry to the event.  For further information, click here.