2/08/06-- International criminal tribunals have emerged as a leading mechanism for seeking justice in the wake of mass atrocity. When they accomplish their goals, international tribunals render justice to victims, promote reconciliation and the rule of law, and ensure that the gravest war crimes do not go unpunished. Scholars, judges, government officials, and NGO leaders, however, have debated the purpose and efficacy of tribunals when human rights abuses have devastated a community or country, as well as how to reconcile the professional ethical standards that govern tribunals with their lack of a clear body of “common law.” As the Darfur genocide and other situations are likely to result in the need for some legal mechanism for accountability, the time is ripe to address some of the challenges currently facing human rights law and international criminal tribunals.

On March 24, many prominent figures in international human rights law will convene at Boston College Law School to address these issues in a symposium entitled, “Sharpening the Cutting Edge of International Human Rights Law: Unresolved Issues of War Crimes Tribunals.” The symposium will be hosted by the Boston College International & Comparative Law Review and the Boston College Center for Human Rights and International Justice, and it will run from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in Room 120 of the East Wing on the law school campus. The symposium is free and open to the public; seating is limited, however, and advance registration is recommended by calling (617) 552-8557.

The symposium will be divided into three panel sessions:
At 9:30: “The Development of the Common Law of Tribunals”
The Honorable Patricia Wald, Fmr. Chief Judge, U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, DC
Mr. David Crane, Fmr. Chief Prosecutor, Sierra Leone Special Court
Mr. William Fenrick, Fmr. Prosecutor, Int’l Crim. Tribunal for the Fmr. Yugoslavia
Mr. Devin Pendas, Professor of History, Boston College
Ms. Susan Somers, Prosecutor, Int’l Crim. Tribunal for the Fmr. Yugoslavia
Mr. Daniel Kanstroom, Professor of Law, Boston College
At 1:15: “The Function and Limits of the Tribunals”
Mr. Aryeh Neier, President, Open Society Institute
Ms. Madeline Morris, Professor of Law, Duke University
Ms. Diane Orentlicher, Professor of Law, American University
Amb. Pierre Prosper, Fmr. Ambassador at Large for War Crimes, Dept. of State
Mr. Donald Hafner, Professor of Political Science, Boston College
At 3:30: “The State of Legal Concepts Not Clearly Governed By International Law”
Ms. Judy McMorrow, Professor of Law, Boston College
Mr. Allan Ryan, Fmr. Director, Office of Special Investigations, Dept. of Justice
Mr. Philip Weiner, Prosecutor, Int’l Crim. Tribunal for the Fmr. Yugoslavia
Mr. David Wirth, Professor of Law, Boston College

BOSTON COLLEGE INTERNATIONAL & COMPARATIVE LAW REVIEW
The Boston College International & Comparative Law Review is one of approximately 30 law reviews in the United States that focus on international legal issues. In existence for nearly thirty years, the Review publishes two issues annually. Because a growing number of domestic policy questions have international implications, international law is becoming increasingly important to U.S. practitioners. The scope of the International & Comparative Law Review, therefore, is expansive, and it pursues articles that address a variety of issues such as human rights, cross-border environmental disputes, arms control, covert action, international investment, International Court of Justice jurisdiction, and terrorism, to name only a few.

CENTER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AND INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE
The newly-established Center for Human Rights and International Justice at Boston College addresses the increasingly interdisciplinary needs of human rights work. Through training programs, applied research and the interaction of scholars with practitioners, the Center aims to nurture a new generation of scholars and practitioners in the United States and abroad who draw upon the strengths of many disciplines, and the wisdom of rigorous ethical training in the attainment of human rights and international justice. The Center is built upon the University's deep religious and ethical tradition of service to others and its broad scholarly reach through its graduate programs in Arts & Sciences and its professional programs in Law, Business, Education, Social Work, and Nursing.