11th ASP to the ICC: NPWJ convenes side event on “Accountability and Transitional Justice in the Middle East and North Africa”

Eleventh Session of the ICC Assembly of States Parties, The Hague, 19 November 2012On the occasion of the 11th session of the Assembly of States Parties (ASP) of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, No Peace Without Justice is convening a side event on “Accountability and Transitional Justice in the Middle East and North Africa”, to be held on 19 November 2012 (from 13:15 to 15:00), at the World Forum (Africa Room). The Middle East and North Africa continue to be swept by the populations’ demands for change, to which States have responded in different ways, from the extremes of civil war and violent repression, to offers of greater or lesser reforms, through to total capitulation of previous rulers. Common threads running through all “Arab Spring” countries are the desire and need for justice and accountability, for acts committed during the revolutions and for past years and decades of human rights abuses. Accountability and justice are essential components of building stable and peaceful States, to demonstrate a real break with the past and to ensure that emerging political institutions are built on a solid foundation of respect for the rule of law that includes accountability of their current and former leaders to the people. What are the experiences on transitional justice and accountability in Bahrain, Libya, Syria and Tunisia? What are people’s expectations and views on these topics? What are the different needs in different countries? How can the international community and the International Criminal Court support accountability and justice in the Middle East and North Africa? These are the questions that will guide the discussion. Speakers include Ahmad Nader Nadery (Afghanistan), Head of Mission, NPWJ Project in Libya; Mohsen Marzouk (Tunisia), renowned Tunisian democracy-defender and Founding member of Al Kawakibi Democracy Transition Center; Alaa Baayo (Libya), Executive Projects Manager, Voice of Libyan Women; Mustafa Haid (Syria), Founder and Director, Dawlaty; Khalil Ebrahim Al-Marzooq (Bahrain), Secretary General Assistant for Political Affairs, Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, First Deputy Speaker (Resigned), Bahrain Representative Council. Flyer of the eventSpecial section dedicated to the 11th ASP to the ICC Mohsen Marzouk also met, today Monday 19 November 2012 in The Hague, Mrs. Fatou Bensouda, General-Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court. They discussed the best ways to promote the Rome Satute. Mrs. Bensouda and Mr. Marzouk also exchanged views about the situation in Tunisia and in the Arab region, as well as strategies to prevent massive violations of human rights and impunity. NPWJ and the ICCNo Peace Without Justice, which is a founding member of the NGO Coalition for the International Criminal Court (CICC) and which has been one of the organisations at the forefront of promoting the establishment and entry into force of the permanent International Criminal Court (ICC) and continues to work for its universal ratification, has participated in every session of the ASP since its first session in 2002, the year the ICC was established.Source: npwj.org