ICL as a new academic discipline

1
ICL as a new academic discipline

• ICLN Symposium The Hague
• June 14th 2007
• Theo de Roos

2
Characteristics ICL

• ICL is an academic hype
• many new chairs in the Netherlands
• Traditional criminal law and international law
  used to be worlds apart, but closer

3
Characteristics ICL

• Challenge to develop legal concepts in permanent
  dialogue with many legal systems
• Experience with ECHR useful, but the field is now
  much broader
• E.g. conceps of joint criminal entreprise and
  corporate liability

4
Characteristis ICL

• Procedural law clashes of cultures and
  traditions
• Also here, new fields to be explored
• E.g. concepts of officer of the court (legal
  counsel) different from continental tradition
  (Sierra Leone, Taylor trial)
• Amicus curiae (Milosevic trial)

5
Characteristics ICL

• Public character of trial (TV in courtroom, for
  the Dutch highly unusual!)
• Oral character of trial (for the Dutch highly
  unusual)
• Innovative, also as far as dealing with witness
  is concerned

6
Characteristics ICL

• Scientific perspectives a challenging, extremely
  attractive working field
• Many PhDs and chairs
• E.g. sexual violence (De Brouwer), Criminal
  Responsabilty (Van Sliedregt), both PhD
  dissertations University of Tilburg
• Fits in perfectly in strategy of research
  programs (internationalisation)