ICC holds workshop with lawyers from Georgia and countries of nearby regions

On 26 October 2018, the International Criminal Court ('ICC' or 'the Court') held a workshop in Tbilisi, Georgia, with representatives of the legal communities from Georgia and 9 countries of nearby regions, in collaboration with the Georgian Bar Association and with the financial support of the European Commission. The workshop aimed at encouraging lawyers of underrepresented regions to apply for the lists of ICC Counsel and Assistants to Counsel as well as at increasing the number of women on those lists.

More than 50 lawyers from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Iran, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Turkey and Ukraine, many of whom were women, exchanged with ICC elected officials, including Vice-President Judge Robert Fremr and Registrar Mr Peter Lewis, and other ICC representatives about the work of the Court as well as ways to participate in the capacity of Counsel in ICC proceedings. Such insights on the Court should help lawyers to make a future informed decision about applying for inclusion on the ICC's List of Counsel or List of Assistants to Counsel to practice before the Court.

Opening the Seminar, ICC Registrar Mr Peter Lewis said that given the eleven situations before the Court, across various continents, "it is important to encourage the involvement of lawyers from various legal backgrounds to become part of the international legal community practising before the Court."

"To guarantee the right of effective and adequate Defense and to represent the victims, the role of Counsel is very important," said the Chairman of the Georgian Bar Association Mr David Asatiani at the opening of the workshop. "However, for this moment, no lawyers from Georgia are included in the ICC's list of Counsel. I hope that this workshop will encourage many participants to apply for the list."

ICC Seminars and Trainings for Counsel have been an annual activity of the Court since 2006, providing a unique platform to not only celebrate the contribution of Counsel to the Court's mandate, but to also engage in mutually beneficial dialogue with the legal profession.

For further information, please contact Fadi El Abdallah, Spokesperson and Head of Public Affairs Unit, International Criminal Court, by telephone at: +31 (0)70 515-9152 or +31 (0)6 46448938 or by e-mail at: [email protected]

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