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Conference: "Victims of International Crimes" | Marburg 6. to 8. Oktober 2011

The two Marburg-based centers – the International Research and Documentation Centre for War Crimes Trials (ICWC) and the Center for Conflict Studies – jointly organized an international conference on the participation of victims in the investigation and processing of serious human rights violations and war crimes, under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Christoph Safferling and Prof. Dr. Thorsten Bonacker. The event was funded by the Foundation “Remembrance, Responsibility and Future” and the German Research Foundation (DFG).

At the conference, international experts from the fields of international criminal law and political science spoke, including the Deputy President of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Judge Hans-Peter Kaul, former UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Prof. Theo van Boven, and the representative of the victims’ counsel in the Demjanjuk trial, Prof. Cornelius Nestler. The consensus was that it is crucial to give victims an active role in addressing international crimes such as genocide or crimes against humanity. Compared to the Nuremberg Trials after World War II, victims today play a much more prominent role in international criminal proceedings.

At the same time, challenges associated with expanding victims’ rights in criminal proceedings were discussed, such as the need to ensure the accused a fair trial. Against this background, participants emphasized that, in addition to criminal law, other approaches are essential for addressing international crimes, including truth commissions and both material and symbolic reparations. The work of victim organizations, especially in supporting traumatized victims, was highlighted as particularly important.

Speakers agreed that a major challenge in victim participation is defining who qualifies as a victim of crimes and who is denied recognition as such. Prof. Mark Drumbl from Washington & Lee University highlighted the complex position of child soldiers, who can be regarded both as victims and perpetrators. Selective attention to certain crimes—for instance, sexual violence during World War II—was also discussed. Dr. Regina Mühlhäuser from the Hamburg Institute for Social Research noted that German reporting on sexual violence in World War II predominantly focused on crimes committed by the Red Army.

It was also clear that the existence of the International Criminal Court represents a significant step in combating impunity, providing an institution to hold principal perpetrators of international crimes accountable and offering victims a means of recognition and restoration of justice. In the concluding discussion, Prof. Raquel Aldana from the University of the Pacific, California, stressed that victims should be re-empowered as active citizens in the aftermath of serious human rights violations, rather than being treated solely as passive recipients of compensation.

The conference, which for the first time worldwide brought together researchers with practitioners from the criminal justice and societal processing of mass violence, was widely regarded as a great success. Particular emphasis was placed on the opportunity to engage with the challenges and opportunities of victim participation from diverse disciplinary perspectives.

The contributions were published in 2013 by Springer in an edited volume entitled Victims of International Crimes: An Interdisciplinary Discourse, edited by Prof. Dr. Thorsten Bonacker and Prof. Dr. Christoph Safferling.