On 14 and 15 September 2024, the TRUE project, in collaboration with IILAT and the Inner Temple, held a two-day bespoke advocacy training on open source evidence for senior advocates practicing at international criminal tribunals or in international cases domestically. The training was held in The Hague. We received 99 applications for 18 available places, demonstrating the interest and need for such specialised training.
The training commenced with some plenary discussions and sessions on expert evidence, case analysis, and conducting a conference with an expert witness. A panel on the particular advocacy strategies and challenges of open source evidence heard from Dearbhla Minogue (Senior Lawyer, Global Legal Action Network); Peter Haynes KC (ICC Defence counsel) and Mirjam Blom (Senior Prosecutor for International Crimes, Dutch National Public Prosecutor’s Office). Thereafter, participants practised the skills of conducting a conference with an expert witness; case analysis and examination-in-chief and cross-examination, using a fictional case study, drafted specifically for the training. Fictional expert reports were produced by the TRUE project in collaboration with experts from Bellingcat and the Starling Lab at Stanford University. Open source evidence experts (Nick Waters and George Katz from Bellingcat; Ben McCann from the Centre for Information Resilience; Koen Kluessien from the Core International Crimes Unit of the Dutch Police; Libby McAvoy from Mnemonic, and an analyst from the ICC Office of the Prosecutor) played the role of expert witnesses in the training.
The trainers at the event were some of the Inner Temple’s most experienced advocacy trainers: Rehana Azib KC (2 Temple Gardens); Grahame Aldous KC (Deka Chambers); Judge Jill Frances (Judge of the Upper Tribunal Immigration and Asylum Chamber); Mr Justice Sir Martin Griffiths (Judge of the High Court of England and Wales and Presiding Judge of Wales); Judge Joanna Korner CMG KC (ICC Judge), and Scott Matthewson (Serjeants’ Inn Chambers).
The Organising Committee for this joint training was led by Prof. Yvonne McDermott Rees from the TRUE project, Josh Kern from 9 Bedford Row Chambers/Inner Temple and Kamran Choudhry from IILAT. ICC Judge Beti Hohler, IILAT’s former Director of Training, also participated in the development and organisation of the training.The Head of Faculty for the training was TRUE Advisory Board member Judge Joanna Korner.
We are particularly grateful for the invaluable and extensive support of IILAT's Senior Associate Matas Stankevičius in the lead-up to the training and the equally invaluable support of Anouk Julien (ICC) and Anne Hausknecht (PhD student, TRUE project) on the training days themselves. A follow-up training for barristers practicing in England and Wales will be held in early 2025.
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