Henry T. King, Jr. War Crimes Research Office
Established in 2002 and supported by annual grants from the Open Society Institute, the War Crimes Research Office is the focal point of several unique programs focusing on accountability for violations of international humanitarian law. Foremost among these is the International War Crimes Research Lab, in which 15 students each semester undertake legal research assignments for the prosecutors and judges of the International Criminal Court, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, the Special Court for Sierra Leone, the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, and several regional piracy courts.
The War Crimes Research Office maintains the War Crimes Research Portal, which contains the text of over 220 memoranda students have prepared for the international tribunals as well as links to a thousand web sites related to international criminal law.
| "The Office of the Prosecutor has come to place increased reliance on the generous support and ongoing assistance provided by the Cox Center War Crimes Research Office. The research and materials are regularly utilized by trial attorneys to assist in the preparation and conduct of proceedings against accused charged with genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes." Sylvana Arbia Chief of Prosecutions International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda "The Cox Center War Crimes Research Office has made a truly significant contribution to our work and to that which we are trying to do in bringing justice and a sustainable peace to this country—and perhaps the region."
Desmond de Silva QCDeputy Prosecutor Special Court for Sierra Leone |
Experts Meetings
During the past five years, Case Western Reserve has hosted a series of closed-door expert meetings, including a 2012 meeting on terrorist financing, a 2011 meeting on the Katyn massacre, a 2010 meeting co-sponsored by the American Society of International Law on “Lawfare!,” a 2008 meeting organized with the International Criminal Court Assembly of States Parties on “The ICC and the Crime of Aggression,” a 2008 meeting co-sponsored by the International Committee of the Red Cross on “Security Detention,” a 2007 International Association of Penal Law Preparatory Colloquium on “Combating Terrorist Financing,” and a 2007 Experts Meeting co-sponsored by the Department of Justice Regime Crimes Liaison Office on “Lessons Learned from the Saddam Hussein Trial.” Reports of these meetings are published in the Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law.
Henry T. King, Jr. Annual Conference on Canada-United States Relations
For more than 25 years, the Canada-United States Law Institute has sponsored the premier conference for addressing the world’s most significant bi-lateral relationship. The annual conference serves as a forum where leaders of the respective governments, corporate executives, legal practitioners, scholars, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs)
and the media explore and examine the special Canada-U.S. relationship. Conference topics have ranged from security to the environment and energy to sovereignty. The conference is widely heralded as fostering the development of the North American Free Trade Agreement. The proceedings are published annually in the Canada-United States Law Journal.
Public International Law and Policy Group
The law school is the Cleveland headquarters of the Nobel Peace Prize nominated Public International Law and Policy Group (PILPG), a nonprofit non-governmental organization officially recognized by the U.N. Founded in 1996, PILPG consists of 60 former State Department lawyers and other practitioners with expertise in public international law. Assisted by law student researchers, these experts provide pro bono legal services to foreign governments and international organizations in need of specialized legal counsel. In 2004, students working with PILPG helped write a widely circulated memorandum setting forth the legal case for labeling the situation in Darfur, Sudan, as genocide. In 2005, students working with PILPG and the ABA helped draft a report on reforming the U.N. Human Rights Commission, which garnered the American Bar Association’s award for outstanding bar initiative.
International Legal Assistance Consortium
Professor Scharf co-founded the International Legal Assistance Consortium (ILAC) in 2000 to assist governments in resurrecting their judicial systems and dealing with accountability for atrocities in the aftermath of armed conflict or political transition. Since then, ILAC, which is headquartered in Stockholm, has assisted the governments of Afghanistan, Liberia, East Timor, Haiti, and Iraq. The Cox Center serves as the consortium’s “research arm,” with Case Western Reserve University School of Law students working on a variety of research projects. Throughout 2004, several School of Law professors traveled to Dubai to train new Iraqi judges, prosecutors, and defense counsel in international human rights and international humanitarian law.
American Bar Association Task Force
In 2004-2005, Case students helped the American Bar Association Task Force on Reforming the United Nations Human Rights Commission prepare a report containing a detailed blueprint for implementing the U.N. Secretary General's proposal to replace the U.N. Commission on Human Rights with a smaller, standing Human Rights Council. The ABA’s House of Delegates approved the Report at its general meeting in August 2005. The report has been provided to the U.S. State Department, foreign bar associations, and U.N. members and staff.