Implications of President Trump's Sanctions Against the ICC

Tasmanian International Criminal Court (ICC) subject-matter experts will deliver a session on the implications of President Trump’s sanctions against the ICC in The Hague, and engage in a Q and A. The panel includes Tim McCormack, Professor of International Law, University of Tasmania; Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law; former Special Adviser on War Crimes to the Prosecutor of the ICC in The Hague, and Regina Weiss, Barrister, TasBar. This will be chaired by Julia Flint, Crown Counsel, Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Thursday 22 May 5.30-7pm

This event can be attended in-person at the Law Society of Tasmania (seating is limited and in-person attendance will be on a first in basis) or livestreamed. Bookings are essential and can be made here.

This session will consider the following matters and more.

• Legal and diplomatic fallout – A strain on U.S. relations with allies supporting the International Criminal Court (ICC), raising concerns about undermining international justice, and setting a precedent for targeting judicial institutions.
• Impact on ICC operations – Challenges created for ICC officials, including travel restrictions and asset freezes, that potentially deter investigations into alleged U.S. war crimes and affect the Court’s independence.
• Precedent for future U.S. policy – A signalling of a broader U.S. stance against international tribunals, and the influence on future administrations’ approaches to global governance and the accountability of American personnel in international conflicts.

About the presenters and session chair

Professor Tim McCormack 

Tim McCormack is a Professor of Law at the University of Tasmania. He is also a former Special Adviser on War Crimes to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in The Hague and an honorary Professorial Fellow at Melbourne Law School. He is one of the world’s leading experts in international humanitarian law – law of war.

Regina Weiss

Regina Weiss, Barrister, recently returned to Hobart to join Derwent & Tamar Chambers after nine years in The Hague and five years in Canberra. She is a graduate of UTAS and commenced her legal career as Associate to the Honourable Chief Justice Alan Blow. She was a Federal Prosecutor with the Commonwealth DPP in Hobart, and then moved to The Hague. From 2007 to 2016, Regina prosecuted war crimes and crimes against humanity as a trial lawyer at the International Criminal Court. In addition to trial advocacy and case preparation at the seat of the court in The Hague, Regina also worked on the ground in situation countries with witnesses and victims, predominantly in east Africa.

Session Chair: Julia Flint

Julia Flint is a Law graduate of the University of Tasmania. Julia’s honour thesis was on Australia’s obligation to investigate war crimes, under the supervision of Professor Tim McCormack. She worked as a legal research assistant in the fields of a International Law, International Humanitarian Law, International Criminal Law, and domestic Criminal Law and Policy. Julia was Associate to the former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Tasmania, Alan Blow AO. Julia has recently commenced as Crown Counsel at the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.