The ‘Crime of Crimes’: Personal and Legal Reflections on Genocide
4/11/2020, 5.45 PM (GMT)
Zoom Webinar (1h30 mins) + Q&A (45 mins)
Direct Zoom link (ID: 985 4584 9708) or RSVP to attend.
In this inaugural online seminar on international law, Garden Court North Chambers, in association with Accountability Unit and the University of Manchester’s International Law Centre and Justice Hub, will explore what genocide means from both a legal and personal perspective.
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz and the commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the genocide of Bosnian Muslims in Srebrenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The genocide in Srebrenica was the worst atrocity on European soil since the Holocaust, despite the commitment made by States after 1945 to ‘Never Again’.
Dr Noemie Lopian and Dr Leyla Ferman will relate their own personal legacies of living with the consequences of genocide - one historical relating to the Holocaust [15 mins] and the other relating to a case of contemporary genocide, namely that against the Yazidis of Iraq and Syria. [15 mins] Aarif Abraham and Kate Stone will talk about the law relating to genocide, the difficulty of its application and lessons for the future. [20-25 mins] Prof Javaid Rehman will deliver a keynote on why this discussion today is as relevant as it was after the horrors of the Second World War. [10 mins] Pete Weatherby QC will Chair the event and help frame the discussion. [5 mins] The event is hosted by Dr John Haskell. [5 mins] More details on the speakers can be found below.
The seminar is organised by Aarif Abraham, Convener, International Law at Garden Court North Chambers & Acting Director at Accountability Unit; Dr John D. Haskell, Co-Director at Manchester International Law Centre; and Philip Drake, Director of the University of Manchester’s Justice Hub. With thanks to Benedetta Locatelli for her assistance.
Following the UK government’s guidelines on halting the spread of Covid-19, this seminar will be held online via Zoom in order to comply with social distancing measures.
Panellists’ biographies
Professor Javaid Rahman
Javaid is a Professor of Law at Brunel University in London and the current United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights Situation in Iran. He is a Member of the Coordination Committee of the Special Procedures United Nations Human Rights Office. Javaid possesses over 25 years of experience as an academic lawyer and is one of the leading global authorities on the subject of Muslim constitutionalism and international human rights law. To find out more about Javaid’s work, visit: https://gcnchambers.co.uk/barrister/professor-javaid-rehman/
Pete Weatherby QC
Pete is a barrister specialising in cases involving miscarriages of justice, freedom of expression, extradition, ‘terrorism’ and widely on violations of international human rights and criminal law. Pete has advised ministers and shadow ministers regarding a number of high-profile cases and is a regular commentator on legal and human rights issues in the media. Pete was a founding member of Garden Court North Chambers and is a member of the Executive Board of the Bar Human Rights Committee and is a Trustee of INQUEST. To find out more about Pete’s work, visit: https://gcnchambers.co.uk/barrister/pete-weatherby-qc/
Dr Noemie Lopian
Noemie trained to be a GP. Whilst on maternity leave with her youngest daughter, she read “Die Lange Nacht”, her father’s, Dr Ernst Israel Bornstein’s, experiences in seven labour and concentration camps over four and a half years in Poland and Germany. She translated he father’s biography, over 3 years, and “The Long Night” was launched in the House of Lords in 2017. Her mother, Renee Bornstein, only recently shared her story. As a child, aged 10, Renee grew up in France and was questioned at gunpoint by Gestapo. (My Family, Me and The Holocaust, BBC 1, May 2019). Since then Noemie has become increasingly involved in Holocaust education and commemoration and, in particular, emphasising its relevance today. To find out more about Noemie’s work: visit: https://www.holocaustmatters.org/
Dr Leyla Ferman
Leyla is the Chair of Women for Justice, an international women’s organisation based in Germany aiming to raise awareness about the atrocities committed against the Yazidi people in Syria and Iraq as well as the disproportionate impact this had on Yazidi women and girls. The organisation has collected witness testimonies from women survivors that have fed into a number of NGO and UN-led initiatives considering legal accountability for genocide of the Yazidi people. Dr. Ferman was born in Germany, into a Yazidi/Kurdish family. To find out more about Leyla’s work, visit: https://www.womenforjustice.net
Kate Stone
Kate is a barrister specialising in human rights and public law, with an emphasis on inquests, judicial review and civil actions against public authorities. Kate is an Executive Member of the Bar Human Rights Committee and regularly undertakes advisory and drafting work in public international law and previously advised on matters relating to international criminal law. To find out more about Kate’s work, visit: https://gcnchambers.co.uk/barrister/kate-stone/
Dr John D. Haskell
John is a senior lecturer at the University of Manchester Law School and junior faculty at the Institute for Global Law and Policy at Harvard Law School. He is an Executive Board Member of the Association for the Promotion of Political Economy and Law, as well as the Editor for Crypto Law Review. To find out more about John’s work, visit: https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/john.haskell.html
Aarif Abraham
Aarif is barrister specialising in public international law, international human rights law, and international criminal law. Aarif is rostered as an expert by a number of United Nations bodies and has worked on a number of cases relating to mass atrocity crimes. He is regularly instructed by IOs, NGOs, parliamentarians and individuals in relation to violations of rights and commission of crimes during armed conflict and, in particular, cases relating to the crime of genocide. Aarif frequently writes, lectures and advises on issues related to foreign policy and international affairs. To find out more about Aarif’s work, visit: https://gcnchambers.co.uk/barrister/aarif-abraham/