Taught by Susan Lamb, formerly a Justice of the Supreme Court of Belize, and currently a member of Crown Law's criminal team in Wellington, students will be able to learn directly from an internationally-recognised criminal and humanitarian law expert. A Rhodes Scholar, Susan brings to this course her significant expertise in international criminal law, criminal justice, and the law of armed conflict. You will consider the work of the various boards, units, tribunals, and justice systems which are established to try perpetrators of genocide and war crimes in fragile and conflict-affected states, including those tackling atrocity crimes in Syria, Iraq and other conflict zones.
This course will develop students’ understanding of the contemporary international legal architecture for dealing with armed conflict and atrocity crimes. It will enhance their ability to exercise independent judgement and to understand how principles of extra-territorial and universal jurisdiction have evolved in response to atrocity crimes, as well as appreciating the large number of jurisdictional gaps that remain.
The course will draw on several case-studies from the International Criminal Court, as well as other International Criminal Tribunals, including those for the Former Yugoslavia, Rwanda, and Cambodia. It will also make reference to a number of contemporary situations such as the conflict in Ukraine.