KADEM and NPWJ organise High-level Consultations on Transitional and International Justice in the Arab region

 
On 20 June 2013, the Al Kawakibi Democracy Transition Center (KADEM) and No Peace Without Justice (NPWJ) are organising a series of activities in Tunis under the framework of the Transitional Justice Academy with the participation of the ICC Prosecutor, HE Ms Fatou Bensouda, governments and civil society representatives from Bahrain, Libya, Tunisia (including the Tunisian Minister of Human Rights and Transitional Justice, Mr Samir Dilou), Egypt and Palestine.The activities aim to promote implementation of international legal instruments supporting human rights and transitional justice and in particular the founding treaty of the ICC, International Criminal Court (ICC), the Rome Statute.
 
After ousting existing regimes, Egypt, Libya and Tunisia are seeking to implement transitional justice mechanisms, while Palestine and Bahrain’s quest for justice is a long-standing demand from the populations. Despite the difficulties and complexities involved in establishing transitional and international justice processes and the differences among these countries, they have many points of contact and have gone through similar experiences of dictatorship and repression of their basic freedoms. Therefore this initiative targets governmental and civil society from these countries to facilitate the cross-fertilisation among the different experiences and strengthen cooperation among local and international actors.
 

The Conference on Transitional and International Justice in the Arab region will provide a forum for governmental and civil society representatives from Bahrain, Egypt, Libya, Palestine and Tunisia to discuss international and transitional justice as well as ratification and implementation of the Rome Statute. Participants will also identify concrete initiatives at the national level to promote the advancement of transitional justice mechanisms and ratification and implementation of the Rome Statute.

 
The meeting with high level judges and prosecutors in cooperation with the Tunisian Ministry of Justice and the meeting with the President of the Tunisian Bar Association will provide an opportunity to discuss the challenges of national investigations and prosecutions of ICC crimes. They will also offer the possibility to analyse the opportunities provided by the implementation of the Rome Statute, enhancing the principle of complementarity. 

 
 
Documentation

• Program of the Conference on Transitional and International Justice in the Arab region, 20 June 2013 
• Media Factsheet on the activities
• Read more on NPWJ and KADEM’s work to “Support the Democratic Transition in Tunisia through Transitional Justice” 

 
For further information, please contact Greta Barbone on gbarbone@npwj.org or +216 28385079 or Nicola Giovannini on ngiovannini@npwj.org or +32 (0)2 548-39 15.