Law Students from St Mary’s Visit the International Criminal Court

Law Students from St Mary’s University, Twickenham recently travelled to The Hague, Netherlands, for a three day visit to visit the legal institutions based there.

Students were able to visit the International Criminal Court (ICC), the United Nations International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (UNIRMCT), and HM British Embassy to The Netherlands.  The trip, which was third annual visit for St Mary’s students to The Hague, took place during a key period for international criminal justice with an historic appeal decision on Radovan Karadzic being handed down, the 25-year milestone of the Rwandan atrocities, and The Philippines withdrawing its membership from the International Criminal Court.

The students were given informative and thought provoking talks from lawyers at the ICC and UNIRMCT, and had the opportunity to speak with international prosecutors, legal advisers and court clerks. The group was also graciously hosted by The Honourable Peter Wilson, the British Ambassador to The Netherlands. Philip Dixon, Head of the International Law Team at HM Embassy gave an insightful talk about its work in bilateral and multilateral international relations.

The group was led by Lloyd Gash, Senior Lecturer in Law at St Mary’s, who said of the visit, “It is so important for students to see and hear about the work of international institutions. We are very grateful indeed to our hosts at the International Criminal Court, the UNIRMCT and HM Embassy to The Netherlands for receiving us so warmly and for putting on such compelling sessions. Students had the opportunity to develop their understanding about the role and function of the institutions, and also hear about internship opportunities. We look forward to returning to this wonderful city next year.”