The “strategic litigation portal”

from 17 to 21 of november 2022, in Istanbul

The Arab Council held, in Istanbul, during the period from November 17 to 21, 2022, in Istanbul, the first training session on combating impunity, in the presence of a group of lawyers, jurists and human rights activists from several Arab countries (14 people).

The course presented by the specialist in international law and the director of the “strategic litigation portal” at the Arab Council, Moutassim AlKilani, aims to enable lawyers to gain initial knowledge of international strategic litigation and its importance.

The course dealt with several axes in international humanitarian law, international criminal law, the use of universal jurisdiction, personal jurisdiction, in addition to substantive territorial jurisdiction and protective jurisdiction, in addition to the mechanisms of human rights work at the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice.

Participants in the course received initial training on submitting communications to special rapporteurs, special committees, and international experts, using UN mechanisms and special procedures of the Human Rights Council, in addition to investigation plans, building files, and communicating with witnesses and victims. Within the course program, the participants were introduced to the role of war crimes units in prosecuting war crimes perpetrators.

Through the session, the Arab Council seeks to emphasize the importance of litigation and the fight against impunity as an important way to achieve democracy in the Arab world, and to build a preliminary strategy for the Arab team concerned with combating impunity.

The course is the first of its kind within the activities of the strategic litigation portal of the Arab Council to establish an Arab network to combat impunity. The session
concluded with the launch of the Arab Voluntary Team to combat impunity and prosecute perpetrators of war crimes.