November 15, 2006
PILPG Establishes Relationship with
Last week, the Co-Prosecutors of the Cambodia Tribunal, Robert Petit of
Canada and Chea Leang of Cambodia and Michael Scharf, a Managing Director of
the Public International Law & Policy Group and Professor of Law at Case Western
Reserve University School of Law, signed a Memorandum of Understanding to
govern the provision of legal research assistance by PILPG and the Cox Center
War Crimes Research Office to the Office of the Prosecutor of the Cambodia
Tribunal.
PILPG and the Case War Crimes Research Office have similar agreements with
the International Criminal Tribunal for
The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia – the new U.N.
established tribunal was established to prosecute the Khmer Rouge leaders for
the 1970s genocide in
Over two million Cambodians were slaughtered in the killing fields of
Professor Scharf recently returned from a week long training program in
The training session covered such issues as international criminal
procedure, international crimes, international theories of criminal
responsibility, and international trial management. Scharf led sessions
on maintaining control of the courtroom in the face of a disruptive defendant
or defense counsel, the rights of the accused, and the crimes of genocide and
grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions.
According to Scharf, "the Cambodia Tribunal faces more challenges than
any other war crimes tribunal. The evidence is over thirty years old.
The documentary record is scant. And there is a public expectation that
the Tribunal will be able to convict the Khmer Rouge leaders of genocide, but
the case for genocide is an extremely difficult one to make out since the
victims did not clearly constitute a distinct racial, ethnic, or religious
group."
Scharf, who has just authored a book entitled "Saddam on Trial: Understanding and Debating the Iraqi High Tribunal," ( http://www.cap-press.com/books/1625) says that
"the Cambodian Judges and Prosecutors were intensely interested in the
lessons learned from the Saddam Trial. They want to make sure that they
are able to maintain control of their courtroom in the face of a highly disruptive
defendant."
In 2005, Michael Scharf, Paul Williams, and the Public
International Law and Policy Group, were nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by
the Prosecutor of the
About the Public International Law & Policy Group
The Public International Law & Policy Group (PILPG) is a global, pro
bono law firm providing free legal assistance to governments and states
involved in conflicts. In 2005 PILPG was nominated for the Nobel Peace
Prize.
PILPG's four primary practice areas are Peacebuilding, International Justice,
Post-Conflict Political Development, and Public International Law. To provide
pro bono legal advice and policy formulation expertise, PILPG relies almost
exclusively on volunteer legal assistance from more than sixty former
international lawyers, diplomats, and foreign relations experts, as well as pro
bono assistance from major international law firms. Annually, PILPG is able to
provide over $2 million worth of pro bono international legal services.
Because of its diverse network of volunteers, PILPG is able to maintain
volunteer points of contact in London, Paris, New York, Washington D.C.,
Cleveland, Boston, Rome, The Hague, Stockholm, Brussels, Kabul, Nairobi, and
Seattle. In July 1999, the United Nations granted official Non-Governmental
Organization status to PILPG.
The Managing Board of PILPG includes
Paul Williams - Executive Director,
Michael Scharf - Managing Director, and
James Hooper - Managing Director.
To learn more about the Public International Law & Policy Group,
please visit our website at http://www.pilpg.org.
Copyright 2006
Public International Law & Policy Group