Internationalism and Transitional Justice:
The Iraqi Special Tribunal

What: The Iraqi Special Tribunal: A Panel Discussion

When: Wednesday, March 10, 2004; 6 to 8 p.m.

Where: House of the Association, 42 West 44th Street

New York, N.Y. -- On December 10, 2003, the Iraqi Governing Council announced the creation of the Iraqi Special Tribunal for Crimes Against Humanity to try Iraqi nationals and residents accused of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and certain other crimes under Iraqi law between 1968 and 2003. Only five days later, former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein was captured, and the tribunal has attracted attention primarily as a possible venue for his trial.

From the outset, the tribunal has been widely and almost uniformly criticized for its failure to involve the international community in the tribunal's formation, oversight, investigatory work or staffing. The tribunal also raises a number of recurring issues in the formation of such tribunals to further transitional justice: Who are legitimate defendants? What crimes should be prosecuted, and what kinds of penalties are appropriate? Who can and should serve as investigators, prosecutors, defense counsel and judges, and what kind of training do they need? How can a tribunal effectively balance the need to prevent impunity and the need for due process?

A panel comprising a representative of the Coalition Provisional Authority in Baghdad and a leading critic of the tribunal, as well as one of the foremost historians on the subject, will discuss these issues, the historical background, the specific rationales for the format of the Iraqi Special Tribunal and the tribunal's possible role in a trial of Saddam Hussein.

Moderator:
NOAH FELDMAN, U.S. Chief Advisor, Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance for Post-War Iraq; Assistant Professor of Law, New York University School of Law.

Speakers:
GARY J. BASS, Assistant Professor of Politics and International Affairs, Princeton University; Author, Stay the Hand of Vengeance: The Politics of War Crimes Tribunals (Princeton, 2000).
RICHARD DICKER, Director, International Justice Program, Human Rights Watch.
DAVID B. HODGKINSON, Director, Transitional Justice, Coalition Provisional Authority.

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