Protection and Enforcement of Human Rights: The ICC
Over the next five periods, we are going to explore the role of the International Criminal Court in the global human rights regime. In groups, you will use the sources below - plus any others you wish - to create a single document for display with the theme of "The International Criminal Court: An Introduction to the Issues'.
You have all of the next five lessons to complete this activity (plus any time outside of class you wish to contribute). It is completely up to you as to what the final document you produce looks like, but you should consider the below aspects.
"The International Criminal Court: An Introduction to the Issues'.
Form: Poster/Information sheet/Brochure
Audience: Foreign ministry staff – the document will be sent out to all foreign ministries of the world’s countries as a display so that staff can become familiar with the ICC
Purpose: To provide information on the role, purpose and functioning of the ICC in order to create awareness of some of the issues surrounding international justice in the contemporary world.
SOURCE 1:
This link is a FAQ section of the ICC's website in which they attempt to answer some of the most commonly asked questions about the Court's work. You can access the link here
Source 2:
This source is a video produced by the Open University in the UK and provides a very clear and concise introduction to the ICC. It also distinguishes between the ICC - which is not a UN tribunal - and UN tribunals such as the United Nations Special Tribunal for Yugoslava or the United Nations Special Tribunal for Sierra Leone. This is an important distinction and one you should pay attention to.
Source 3:
This video clip discusses the formation and structure of the court. Where is it located? How does it operate? What facilities does it have?
Source 4:
This short video looks at the work of the lawyers - the barristers and judges - who, obviously, are essential to the functioning of the International Criminal Court
Sources 5:
This video, very briefly, introduces the case of Thomas Lubanga who, so far, is the only person to have been convicted by the ICC. Does this mean this ICC is ineffective or not?
Source 6:
This video considers the case of Saif al-Islam Gadaffi - the son of deposed Libyan dictator Col. Gadaffi who was overthrown as part of the so called Arab Spring
Source 7:
This is a very interesting article published on the Global Policy Forum by Nyanjala Nyabola that discusses, in light of the fact that all of those indicted so far by the ICC are African, whether or not the Court has an 'Africa problem'. You can find the article here
Source 8:
This is an article from the Guardian newspaper in the UK on the news that Thomas Lubanga has been convicted and sentenced for the recruitment of child soldiers by the Court and, in doing so, become the first person to be convicted by the Court. You can find the article here
Source 9:
This is the online portal for all ICC related articles and statements provided by the transnational NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW). You can access the portal here
Source 10:
This source is a BBC article that seeks to answer the simple - but often misunderstood - question 'What does the International Criminal Court do?'. You can find the article here
Here is a online resource for making websites