Banjul, 20 April 2022: IHRDA, in collaboration with American Bar Association-Rule of Law Initiative (ABA-ROLI) Office, The Gambia and Global Initiative for Justice, Truth and Reconciliation (GIJTR), is organizing its first-ever training workshop for staff of the Gambia Ministry of Justice on international criminal law and international human rights law from 19 – 22 April 2022.
The workshop seeks to strengthen the technical capacity of the Gambia Ministry of Justice to effectively deliver on its role in the on-going transitional justice processes in The Gambia, notably leading in accountability for past crimes and violations.
Topics to be covered include an understanding of international crimes concepts, international criminal tribunals – composition and jurisdiction, complementarity and judicial cooperation in international criminal justice, prosecution of genocide and crimes against humanity, transitional justice approaches to dealing with atrocity crimes – prosecutions, truth commissions, reparations and amnesties, presentation of evidence and criminal procedure in prosecution of international crimes – national and international approaches, participation and protection of victims and witnesses in trial of atrocity crimes, witness examination techniques in trial of atrocity crimes, the right to fair trial, reparations and accountability for sexual and gender-based violence and torture in international human rights law, prescription in international criminal law – time limitation on prosecution of international crimes and the rights of migrants and the impact of international crimes on migration.
Participants will also be introduced to key international criminal justice and transitional justice cases from which they can draw lessons and best practice in prosecuting international crimes and serious crimes emerging from The Gambia’s transitional processes.
The workshop which was formally opened by the Gambia Minister of Justice and Attorney-General, Honourable Dawda Jallow, comes in a context where Government of The Gambia is about to issue its White Paper on the Report of the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) and the pivotal role that the Ministry of Justice will play in ensuring accountability for past crimes and violations. This activity is funded by ABA-ROLI and falls within the framework of its Transitional Justice Rapid Response Project to support the Ministry and Judiciary to enhance capacity of their staff in the area of international crimes, making sure that the requisite resources are available to them to undertake this key aspect of their respective mandates.
