Travelogue: GIMPA Law, Utrecht University and the ICC Summer School in The Netherlands

On Saturday, 13 July 2024, a 23-member team made up of young and energetic men and women drawn from all walks of life and students of law, embarked on a trip to The Netherlands, a country in northwestern Europe, known for its flat landscape of canals, tulip fields, windmills and cycling routes.

The mission of the team was to participate in the maiden edition of the summer school jointly organised by the African Centre of International Criminal Justice (ACICJ) at the Law School of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), Utrecht University (The Netherlands), and the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, The Netherlands.

After the successful check-in of the team on KLM flight 590 from Accra (Kotoka International Airport) to Amsterdam (Schiphol International Airport), the team now eagerly prepared their hearts and minds to participate fully in the International Criminal Law and Justice summer school programme and the memories that would be made in The Netherlands.

Arrival

At about 11:35 pm local time in Accra, (1:35 am local time in Amsterdam), KLM flight 590 was airborne. At about 5:40 am, local time in Accra, (7:40 am local time in Amsterdam, flight 590 touched down at the Schiphol Airport). The entire team disembarked and had a smooth process at The Netherlands border control where all members received their entry clearance within 45 minutes.

Our check-in time at Utrecht University where we were billed to stay was 11 am and the trip from the Schiphol Airport to the University was about 40 minutes’ drive. Having completed all processes at the airport by 9 am local time in Amsterdam, it would have been a long wait at the International Campus of the Utrecht University if we left the airport right away.

The decision was therefore made to stay at the airport and to have breakfast before the trip from Amsterdam to the Utrecht University international campus. After this deserved breakfast, the team took a 4-minute walk out of the airport to our buses.

After packing our bags, the journey to Utrecht was set to commence. As we exited the airport, it was clear that road infrastructure and river bodies were not in short supply in the Netherlands. The 40-minute road trip was not short of interesting discussions about the beautiful roads, railway network, bus transportation, and the love for bicycles.

Check-in time

Having arrived at the international campus of Utrecht University at about 10:45 am, the team had some 15 minutes of waiting to do before check-in at about 11:15 am, when our host made her way to our address where we waited and distributed our pre-packaged door keys for our rooms and keycards for accessing the main entrance to our residential facilities. Check-in was thus made simple and quick.

The team moved quickly to settle in their rooms and the rest of the day, Sunday, 14 July 2024 was obviously for resting ahead of the commencement of the summer school programme on Monday, 15 July 2024.

Summer School day one

From the Utrecht University International Campus to the address of our first class (Janskerkhof 3, 3512 BK Utrecht, The Netherlands) was a five-minute walk to the bus station (De Hoogstraat) and a 15-minute bus ride to Janskerkhof 3.

The team assembled at about 9 am after our bus ride in room 019 for our first class. The topic was International (Criminal) Law and Diplomacy: A Practical Introduction. Dr Senalor K. Yawlui, Deputy Head of Mission & Head of Chancery, Ghana Embassy in The Netherlands was the guest lecturer.

Dr Kwaku Agyeman-Budu, Dean of GIMPA Law School and Head of the African Centre of International Criminal Justice (ACICJ), took the class through an Introductory Lecture on the History and Evolution of International Criminal Law (ICL).

Diana Asonaba Dapaah, Deputy Minister of Justice & Deputy Attorney General, Ghana (also a Lecturer at GIMPA Law School on leave of absence), who was in Europe for an official assignment, passed through the programme to deliver a lecture on the Establishment of a Special Tribunal by ECOWAS to prosecute atrocities in The Gambia.

Exploring the city of Utrecht

After the last class of day one, which ended at about 5 pm local time in Utrecht, the team dispersed into town for our first day of exploring the Dutch city of Utrecht. While some went to the Hoog Catharijne Mall which has more than 90 stores and is one of the largest indoor shopping centers in The Netherlands, providing an attractive and diverse range of shops, boutiques as well as food and restaurants, others went to the Utrecht Centraal train station to catch a train to Amsterdam (40 minutes journey) to explore the capital city.

Three days at the ICC

From Tuesday, 16 to Thursday, 18 July 2024, the team spent all of its time at the International Criminal Court (The ICC), located in the Dutch city of Den Haag (The Hague), the third largest city in The Netherlands. At exactly 8 am our 25-seater bus was parked and the nearly 45-minute journey to The Hague began.

Tight security at the ICC

On arriving at the impressive ICC building in Den Haag, the first impression you get is the tight security in place to ensure that security at the ICC premises is not breached. All members of the team had to provide their passports and go through security screening before they gained access to the ICC premises.

However, access was very restricted and it was explained that the ICC has in recent times suffered some security breaches, especially with their information systems among others. To this end, they have had to review their entire security architecture to protect their building and their network systems. As part of the measure, access to free Wi-Fi at the ICC building which used to be readily available had been suspended.

ICC training sessions

In the press briefing room of the ICC, the summer school team had lectures on the following topics; Introduction to the ICC, The Pre-Trial Division’s role in the ICC’s judicial process, The Trial Division’s role in the ICC’s judicial process, and The Appeals Division’s role in the ICC’s judicial process.

The team also had a dialogue with Judge Solome Balungi Bossa, a Ugandan judge on the International Criminal Court who before her election to the ICC, was a member of the Court of Appeal in Uganda, which also doubles as the Constitutional Court in the Judiciary of Uganda.

On day two of our visit to the International Criminal Court (ICC), the training sessions were first on the Office of the Prosecutor: Preliminary examinations, investigations, arrest warrants, and cooperation. Secondly, the Office of the Prosecutor: Prosecution and Litigation, thirdly, the Office of Public Counsel for Victims (OPCV), fourthly, the Office of Public Counsel for Defence (OPCD) and lastly, the Trust Fund for Victims

On the third and last day of our visit to the International Criminal Court (ICC), the team attended a hearing of the case of the Prosecutor versus Mahamat Said Abdel Kani which took place in Courtroom II. The composition of Trial Chamber VI hearing the case includes Judge Miatta Maria Samba (President Judge) Judge Socorro Flores Liera and Judge Sergio Gerardo Ugalde Godínez

Brief on the Said

Mahamat Said Abdel Kani, also known as “Mahamat Said Abdel Kain” and “Mahamat Saïd Abdelkani” is alleged to have been a senior member of the Seleka coalition and is suspected of crimes against humanity (imprisonment or other severe deprivation of physical liberty, torture, other inhumane acts and persecution) and war crimes (torture, cruel treatment and outrages upon personal dignity) committed at the Office Central de Répression du Banditisme (Central Office for the Repression of Banditry, the “OCRB”) in Bangui (CAR) between 12 April 2013 and 30 August 2013.

On 30 May 2014, the Prosecutor received a referral from the Central African authorities regarding crimes allegedly committed in CAR since 1 August 2012. On 24 September 2014, the Prosecutor opened a second investigation in CAR regarding crimes allegedly committed since 2012.

On 30 October 2018, the Prosecutor submitted under seal, ex parte, the application for the issuance of a warrant of arrest against Mahamat Said Abdel Kani. Pre-Trial Chamber II issued a warrant of arrest, under seal, against Mr Said on 7 January 2019.

The Public Redacted Version of the warrant of arrest was published and on 17 February 2021, Mr Mahamat Said Abdel Kani was surrendered to the Court by the authorities of the Central African Republic. On 26 September 2022, the trial opened before Trial Chamber VI.

The accused pleaded not guilty to all the charges. The Prosecution, the Legal Representative of Victims, and the Defence made opening statements. The Prosecution then started its presentation of evidence.

Major takeaways

The team observed the case from the public gallery of the courtroom and as a result, the witness who was only referred to at all material times as “Madam Witness” was not seen by those of us at the public gallery because she sat below the public gallery and was only seen by the judges, lawyers for the prosecution and the defendant as well as the courtroom staff present at the hearing.

This development taught the writer a deep lesson on how seriously the ICC takes witness protection in their trials. The public address system in the court premises also allowed the court to shut down completely from the public whenever it was necessary during the trial.

Additionally, the voice of the witness was muffled to protect the witness. From where the accused person, Mahamat Said Abdel Kani, was seated, court attendees also noticed that he had access to two computer screens that allowed him to follow proceedings in his trial in the company of a security official who sat very close to him.

For the writer and several other members of the summer school team, the amount of effort the ICC puts in to protect witnesses who come to testify in cases before the court was intriguing. Witness protection obviously before the International Criminal Court (ICC) which is trying cases bordering on Genocide, Crimes Against Humanity, War Crimes, and the Crime of Aggression ought to be taken seriously. However, the steps taken to protect witnesses are worth emulating by the courts in Ghana and the rest of Africa.

Time to explore Europe

The engagements of the team at the ICC effectively ended the first week of the two-week summer school. The weekend was therefore a window of opportunity for the team to explore the rest of Europe. Destinations that were chosen by team members included Paris (France), Berlin (Germany), Cologne (Germany), Rome (Italy), and Brussels (Belgium), among others.

The travel options available to the team included train, bus, and airplane. Most team members chose to travel to their chosen destinations by train while others went by bus and returned by train.

The writer in the company of seven others travelled by bus to Paris and returned via train. The travel time by bus from Utrecht to Paris was 7 hours, and the return journey by train was 3 hours and 20 minutes.

Our trip to France was just about a week before the start of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. As you would expect, there was active police and military presence in the city of Paris with several roadblocks and diversions aimed at ensuring maximum security in the French capital which is noted for unpredictable behaviour from a section of its inhabitants.

Despite all the restrictions, the team was able to visit the Eiffel Tower in the heart of Paris. The Eiffel Tower is a wrought iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France.

It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower from 1887 to 1889. The team also visited Notre-Dame de Paris which means (Our Lady of Paris), referred to simply as Notre-Dame.

It is a medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité (an island in the River Seine), in the 4th arrondissement of Paris, France. The cathedral, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, is considered one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture.

Several attributes set it apart from the earlier Romanesque style, particularly its pioneering use of the rib vault and flying buttress, its enormous and colourful rose windows, and the naturalism and abundance of its sculptural decoration.

Notre Dame also stands out for its three pipe organs (one historic) and its immense church bells. Built during the medieval era, construction of the cathedral began in 1163 under Bishop Maurice de Sully and was largely completed by 1260, though it was modified in succeeding centuries. A fire in April 2019 caused serious damage and forced the cathedral to close for five years. It is planned to reopen on 8 December 2024.

After these two major visits, the team went shopping, feasting and subsequently took a long walk (45 minutes) to the train station to catch our train back to Amsterdam. Even though we went to the wrong train station initially, we managed to do an additional 15-minute walk to our actual station.

Week two of Summer School

On our return to Utrecht in the early hours of Sunday, the visibly tired French travellers took the rest of the day off in preparation for the second week of our summer school. At exactly 9 am on Monday, 22 July 2024, the team was back to class at Janskerkhof 3, 3512 BK Utrecht.

Professor Jerome de Hemptinne, Assistant Professor at Utrecht University School of Law, presented the first lecture of the day on the topic: International Crimes: Genocide & Crimes Against Humanity in Perspective. After a 20-minute break, he presented the second lecture on the topic; International Crimes: War Crimes & the Crime of Aggression in Perspective. The last lecture of the day on Conflict Classification and War Crimes was presented by Professor Roisin Burke, Assistant Professor at Utrecht University School of Law.

Bowling Night

After the long day of lectures, the team took time off to go bowling at the Bison Bowling, located at Mariaplaats 13A, 3511 LJ Utrecht. It was a blissful evening of drinks, small chops, and fun going through the 7 rounds of bowling.

Last day of lectures

The last day of lectures, Tuesday, 23 July 2024, saw Professor Luigi Prosperi Assistant Professor in Criminal Law and affiliated with the Willem Pompe Institute for Criminal Law and Criminology, Utrecht University School of Law, deliver a presentation on the Conceptualization of “crimes against humanity” and the case law on Article 7 of the Statute of the International Criminal Court. Professor Jerome de Hemptinne returned with a lecture on Modes of Liability and another on Procedural Issues to end the summer school.

Let’s go shopping

Wednesday 24 and Thursday, 25 July 2024, were planned by the organisers to be the days for shopping and sightseeing. The team lived up to the expectations and went shopping. Think of any major luxury or affordable shops; we represented – and there was real shopping.

Meeting Ghana’s Ambassador to The Netherlands

Ghana’s Ambassador to The Netherlands, H.E. Francis Kotia graciously agreed to meet the summer school team and present our certificates to us after the training. The team at about noon on Wednesday 24 July set off by train from Utrecht to Den Haag, to the residence of the Ambassador.

On arrival at Den Haag Centraal, the main train station of Den Haag, the team had some time at hand to explore Den Haag further, beyond the three days we spent visiting the ICC.

On arrival at the residence of the Ambassador, his staff warmly received us. Food was served and drinks were made available to the team. After eating, we had a fruitful discussion with Ambassador Francis Kotia on our experiences in The Netherlands, the ICC, the summer school in general, and on international diplomacy.

Subsequently, Ambassador Francis Kotia and two other Ghanaian diplomats took turns to present to team members their certificates. The team, after this fruitful session, made their way back to the Den Haag Centraal to return to our base in Utrecht.

The Cologne trip

Thursday, 25 July 2024 was certainly the last day of the team in The Netherlands since our return date to Ghana was Friday, 26 July 2024. Seven members of the team decided to travel to Cologne, Germany to spend the last day. At about 7 am, the seven-member team set off to Utrecht Centraal to catch our train to Cologne. On arrival, the team first stopped at the “Cologne View,” a building whose rooftop offers an opportunity to view the entire city of Cologne.

The travelling team then moved to see the love locks on the Hohenzollern Bridge. Walking across the Hohenzollern Bridge was a sublime moment, passing thousands of love locks while locomotives & railway carriages caused the bridge to vibrate.

After crossing the Hohenzollern Bridge, the team made their way to the Cologne Cathedral. The Cologne Cathedral is a cathedral in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, belonging to the Catholic Church. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne and of the administration of the Archdiocese of Cologne.

Begun in 1248, the building of this Gothic masterpiece took place in several stages and was not completed until 1880. Over seven centuries, its successive builders were inspired by the same faith and by a spirit of absolute fidelity to the original plans. Apart from its exceptional intrinsic value and the artistic masterpieces it contains, Cologne Cathedral bears witness to the strength and endurance of European Christianity.

No other Cathedral is so perfectly conceived, so uniformly and uncompromisingly executed in all its parts. Cologne Cathedral is a High Gothic five-aisled basilica (144.5 m long), with a projecting transept (86.25 m wide) and a tower façade (157.22 m high). The nave is 43.58 m high and the side aisles 19.80 m.

Finding our way back to Utrecht

The team, after exploring these tourist attractions in Cologne, took a walk through the shopping centre of Cologne to do some shopping. In no time, our return journey was due and we had to find our way to the Bahnhof (Train Station) in Cologne. We found our way there, but we were at the wrong place.

Thankfully, we enquired at the information desk at the right time, and we got good assistance in time. We rushed to catch a train to the right station and we got to our train just 3 minutes before the scheduled departure to Utrecht. We arrived in Utrecht as scheduled at 9:29 pm and made our way back to the international campus of the University of Utrecht in good time.

Packing out

All too soon, the 2 weeks of summer school had come to an end, and team members had to pack up in preparation for our trip back to Accra on KLM fight 589. By midnight, on Thursday, 25 July 2024, quiet had returned to the residential facility as all members had completed their packing.

Near accident

At about 8:30 am, the team had successfully dragged their luggage to the pick-up area, and the four Mercedes Benz buses transporting the team to the airport were all available. Packing started and the first two buses left. The writer joined the third bus together with 5 other team members.

About 15 minutes into our journey, our driver was crossed by a female driver who had three children in her car, and at the speed with which we were travelling in the inner lane of the four-lane highway, there was no way we should have escaped that accident but for the Grace of God.

Check-in at the airport

Having weighed our bags after packing, almost all team members had fairly balanced their weights and check-in was largely smooth for the entire team. A boarding call was made at about 3 pm local time in Amsterdam (1 pm in Ghana). By 4 pm local time in the Netherlands, our flight was airborne and we arrived at the Kotoka International Airport at 8: 20 pm.

Team members

The twenty-three-member team that participated in the maiden edition of the summer school included; Abena Nyantakyiwaa Agyemang, a State Attorney and LLM GIMPA student, Bernadette Musey, a Private Legal Practitioner and LLM GIMPA student, Nana Gyankomah Djaba-Mensah, a Senior State Attorney and LLM GIMPA student, Rosemary Baah Tosu, a Justice of the High Court and LLM GIMPA student, Evans Owusu – Registrar at the University of Ghana, Legon and LLM GIMPA student, Monica Awuah, Police Officer and LLM GIMPA student and Emmanuella Korkor Tetteh, a Private Legal Practitioner and an LLM GIMPA student.

The other participants were; John Ferguson Dzikenu, Police Officer and an LLM GIMPA student, Rebecca Audey Asmah, an LLM GIMPA student, Elizane Yaa Sika Osei, a Legal Research Officer at the Parliament of Ghana and LLM GIMPA student, Lucille Atta-Mensah, GIMPA LLB Student, Khadel Mahama – Medical Officer and LLB GIMPA student, Emmanuel Dela Ettey, LLB GIMPA student, and Joel Narwynbon Adziwi, Insurance Officer, Star Assurance and LLB GIMPA student.

The rest were Harriet Kusi Yeboah, GIMPA LLB Student, Maame Konadu Kissi, GIMPA LLB Student, Abigail Atuahene, Banker, CBG and GIMPA LLB student, Bernard Ofori Abankwah, GIMPA LLB student and Wilberforce Asare, Broadcast Journalist and LLM GIMPA student.

The writers take

Overall, the maiden edition of the summer school jointly organised by the ACICJ at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) Law School, the University of Utrecht (Netherlands), and the International Criminal Court (ICC), can be described as extremely successful.

GIMPA Law School is the only law school in Ghana and south of Saharan Africa that offers such a unique experience for its students in the field of International Criminal Law. If you are planning to apply to study law at the LLB or LLM level, you may want to consider applying to do same at the GIMPA Law School.

The organisers however may want to take into consideration the need to give prior information to future participants of the programme on the need to plan their transportation and moments in and out of the cities where the summer school will be taking place, commuting from hostels to lecture areas among others.

The writer of the travelogue is Wilberforce Asare

Political and Legal Editor at Asaase Radio

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