Security Council - Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) -  International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law /securitycouncil/ctc/tags/%C2%A0international-institute-justice-and-rule-law en Launch of project to support senior judicial officials in leading a criminal justice response to terrorism /securitycouncil/ctc/news/launch-project-support-senior-judicial-officials-leading-criminal-justice-response-terrorism <div class="field field-name-field-featured-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><div id="file-24576" class="file file-image file-image-jpeg"> <h2 class="element-invisible"><a href="/securitycouncil/ctc/file/24576">23.jpg</a></h2> <div class="content"> <img class="panopoly-image-original img-responsive" src="/securitycouncil/ctc/sites/www.un.org.securitycouncil.ctc/files/styles/panopoly_image_original/public/news_articles/23.jpg?itok=7OQH4646" alt="" /> </div> </div> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p style="margin-bottom:11px">&nbsp;</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Roboto">On 22-23 January 2015, a project on “Supporting Senior Judicial Officials in Leading a Criminal Justice Response to Terrorism in Europe, Middle East and North Africa” was launched during a round-table meeting hosted by the International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law (IIJ) in Valletta, Malta. With expert support provided by the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), the project is implemented by the Global Center on Cooperative Security (Global Center) and the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), with funding by the European Commission. Its overall purpose is to allow Supreme Court justices to discuss substantive issues and current and projected judicial priorities and challenges in handling terrorism cases.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Roboto">In his opening remarks, CTED Executive Director Jean-Paul Laborde stressed that judicial authorities played a critical role in interpreting counter-terrorism legislation and relevant international instruments. In doing so, they faced multiple challenges, especially as they were also required to protect human rights, including the rights of victims of terrorism and the rights of those accused of terrorism-related crimes (including their right to a fair trial). Supreme Courts’ Judges were responsible for ensuring the legality of national provisions transposing international norms, for assessing the compliance of domestic laws with international standards, and for interpreting standards already applied by international or regional courts. They were also well placed to accelerate and strengthen regional cooperation by engaging in strategic and operational discussions with their colleagues.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Roboto">The Executive Director further underlined that the feedback gathered by CTED within the framework of assessment country visits indicated a need to develop a global, holistic and sustainable approach in supporting Member States’ efforts to bring terrorists to justice through effective adjudication at all levels. Establishing a global platform for the exchange of good practices by senior national judicial officials would be an important step in this direction. At the regional level, the project targeting jurisdictions in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa was a good starting platform, since it brought together the highest level of the judiciary of the States involved.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Roboto">The participants reflected on the current state of terrorism-related case-law in their respective jurisdictions and discussed multiple challenges in reconciling the requirements applicable to national security cases and the respect for rule of law and fair trial principles. In particular, different views were exchanged with regards to advantages and disadvantages of special courts and/or specialized judges dealing with terrorism-related cases; judicial strategies in interpreting counter-terrorism legislation, including the definitions of terrorist offenses, with reference to international counter-terrorism instruments; challenges related to ensuring the respect for the rule of law and fair trial principles in terrorism cases, including the right to a meaningful appeal; importance of international judicial cooperation; logistical difficulties in adjudicating terrorism cases and strategies to overcome them; as well as to personal security of judges involved in terrorism cases.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Roboto">By the second meeting planned for October 2015, select Supreme Court-level justices will have conducted national-level seminars and listening tours. They will explore procedural issues faced by trial and appellate-level judges handling terrorism-related crimes through seminars and meetings with judges, judicial academies, attorneys, civil society, and other criminal justice actors. Key observations based on the country context, successful strategies employed, and ongoing challenges will be shared during high-level roundtable meetings. In so doing, the project aims to lay the foundations for the development of a sustainable, non-political forum for Supreme Court-level and senior judicial officials of Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">&nbsp;</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">&nbsp;</p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-front-page-article field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Front Page Article:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"></div></div></div> Sun, 01 Feb 2015 19:11:00 +0000 BMUSONI 22662 at /securitycouncil/ctc Malta seminar examines challenges in prosecution of FTFs /securitycouncil/ctc/news/malta-seminar-examines-challenges-prosecution-ftfs <div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p style="margin-bottom:11px">&nbsp;</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt;">The prosecution of foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs) presents major challenges that may require the introduction of new legislation, CTED told a recent gathering of experts in Malta.</span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Roboto">“The foreign terrorist fighters phenomenon is not new, but its current scope is unprecedented. It is therefore essential to mobilize all relevant resources to address this phenomenon”, said CTED Chief of Section Ahmed Seif El-Dawla.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Roboto">Security Council resolution 2178 (2014), adopted in September, requires Member States to have adequate legal measures to address the FTF phenomenon.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Roboto">“Compliance with some of these new obligations may require new laws, but several may be addressed through existing legal and practical measures. Therefore, it is important to know what can be done with the measures which are already at our disposal”, Mr. El-Dawla added.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Roboto">The seminar was held in Valletta from 15 to 17 December 2014 by CTED and the Malta-based International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law. The sixth in a series of seminars on “Bringing Terrorists to Justice” targeted at prosecutors with experience in handling terrorist cases, it was attended by the Attorney-General of Malta, as well as by around 40 prosecutors and judges from various regions of the world and representatives of international, regional and subregional organizations.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Roboto">Participants discussed trends and challenges in the prosecution of cases involving FTFs, with respect in particular to the range of possible offences, the collection and availability of admissible evidence, and the applicability of the preventive offences addressed by resolution 2178 (2014). Adopted under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, the resolution requires Member States to ensure that their legal and judicial system have the ability to prosecute and penalize their nationals who travel or attempt to travel for the purpose of the perpetration, planning or preparation of terrorist acts, or the providing or receiving of terrorist training.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Roboto">Seminar participants shared their experiences on how best to prosecute preventive offences related to foreign terrorist fighters and the type of offences and charges used for the prosecution of FTF cases. The discussions also focused on the main types of evidence used in the prosecution of FTF cases and the main obstacles and opportunities in gathering evidence in such cases. Participants also recalled that all measures against terrorism, and in particular those targeting FTFs that may limit the exercise of fundamental freedoms such as the freedom of speech, should be employed only for a legitimate purpose and must comply with the principles of necessity and proportionality.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Roboto">“Among the challenges identified, and which would need to be addressed by the Institute in the future, is acquiring and admitting information technology evidence into cases of foreign terrorist fighters,’ noted the Institute’s Executive Director Robert Strang.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Roboto">The seminar was funded by the U.S. Government as part of the CTED global initiative for prosecutors on “Bringing Terrorists to Justice” in accordance with Security Council resolution 1373 (2001). CTED plans to facilitate a series of further FTF-related activities over the coming months, in close cooperation with the Institute, the CTITF, UNODC and the EU.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">&nbsp;</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">&nbsp;</p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-front-page-article field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Front Page Article:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"></div></div></div> Fri, 26 Dec 2014 22:29:00 +0000 BMUSONI 22761 at /securitycouncil/ctc