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Advanced Research
International War Crimes Research Office
Established in 2002 and supported by annual grants from the Open Society Institute, the Cox Center’s International War Crimes Research Office is the focal point for several unique programs focusing on accountability for violations of international humanitarian law. Foremost among these is the International War Crimes Research Lab, in which students undertake legal research for the Prosecutors and Judges of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, the Special Court for Sierra Leone, the International Criminal Court in The Hague, and the Iraqi Special Tribunal.
In 2004-2005, Professor Scharf was one of five international law experts selected by the Iraqi Special Tribunal to offer several week-long training sessions in the United Kingdom for the judges and prosecutors who will be prosecuting Saddam Hussein. In April 2005, the BBC The World (listen) aired a segment about how Case law students are contributing to the trial of Saddam Hussein.
The Office also maintains the War Crimes Research Internet portal, which contains the text of the memoranda students have prepared for the international tribunals as well as links to over a thousand websites related to international criminal law and “instant analysis” articles written by renowned experts on cutting-edge issues in international criminal law. In addition, the Office hosts an annual symposium, featuring former State Department officials, international prosecutors and defense counsel, military commanders, prominent journalists, and eminent scholars. Symposia include: “Torture and the War on Terror” (2005), “Terrorism on Trial” (2004), “Sexual Assaults of International Consequence: A Symposium on the Suppression of International Crimes Against Women” (2003), and “The Role of Justice in Building Peace” (2003).
"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 |
Public International Law and Policy Group
The Center is the Cleveland headquarters of the Public International Law and Policy Group, a nonprofit organization incorporated in the State of Virginia and an official non-governmental organization recognized by the United Nations. Founded in 1996, and supported by grants from the U.S. Institute of Peace, the Carnegie Foundation, and the Carnegie Corporation, the Group consists of sixty former State Department lawyers and other practitioners with expertise in public international law. Assisted by student researchers, these experts provide pro bono legal services to foreign governments and international organizations in need of specialized legal counsel. Since its founding, the Group has provided services to the governments of Afghanistan, Bosnia, Estonia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Nagorno-Karabagh, Poland, and postwar Iraq, as well as the Parliament of South Africa and the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda.
In September 2004, Case students working with Professor Scharf helped write a PILPG memorandum setting forth the legal case for labeling the situation in Darfur, Sudan as Genocide. The PILPG memorandum was widely circulated within the United States Government and has been credited with playing a role in the Bush Administration's decision to acknowledge that Genocide had occurred in Darfur. In February 2005, the Public International Law and Policy Group, and its founders, Professor Michael Scharf and Professor Paul Williams, were nominated by six governments and an international tribunal for the Nobel Peace Prize.
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 School of Law students working on a variety of research projects. Throughout 2004, several Case 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.
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