Announcements: CfP Universal Jurisdiction and the Crime of Aggression; Book Discussion on Reimagining the International Legal Order

1. Call for Papers: Universal Jurisdiction and the Crime of Aggression – The Challenges and Opportunities for JIT Member States. Since the establishment of the Joint Investigation Team on core international crimes in Ukraine, Member States have been actively collecting and securing evidence of alleged conflict-related crimes committed since February 2022. The majority of the debates of potential cases arising of the JIT work constrain themselves to the possibilities of domestic investigations and prosecutions of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and (rarely) genocide. However, the JIT might have a role to play in the investigation and prosecution of the crime of aggression as well, either on an international or domestic level, for instance through the use of the principle of universal jurisdiction. This workshop invites academic scholars, legal practitioners and policy makers from Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia, Slovakia, and Romania to share experiences, discuss legal frameworks and best practices related to universal jurisdiction prosecutions, and consider how to enable the JIT states to play a strong role in the enforcement of the crime of aggression provisions. The event will take place in Warsaw on 4 December 2023 and is organised jointly by the Center for Research on International Criminal Law of the Institute of Law Studies (Polish Academy of Sciences) together with the Center for International Criminal Justice at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and the School of Governance, Law and Society at Tallinn University. Extended abstracts up to 1,500 words together with a one page CV should be sent to karolina_jozefina.aksamitowska @ tlu.ee by 22 September 2023. Selected papers will be published in the Polish Yearbook of International Law in Autumn 2024. 

2. Book Discussion on Reimagining the International Legal Order. Professor Gerry Simpson will chair this discussion with expert panellists such as Lady Arden of Heswall, Lord (Peter) Goldsmith KC, PC, Rt. Hon’ble Sir Mathew Thorpe KC, Professor Dr Attila Tanzi, Professor Dan Sarooshi KC, Professor Gerry Simpson (Chair). Date, time and venue are as follows: Wed, 27 Sep 2023 16:30 – 19:00 BST at National Liberal Club 1 Whitehall Place London SW1A 2HE. Further details for tickets can be found here.