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Melanie

May 12
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Conférence «Guerre en Ukraine: lutter contre l’impunité des violences sexuelles liées au conflit et protéger les droits des personnes survivantes»

By Upcoming Events

Le 24 mai prochain, nos deux invitées, juristes au sein de l’Association JurFem, présenteront les activités de cette organisation en matière de la lutte contre l’impunité des violences sexuelles en Ukraine dans le cadre de l’invasion russe.

La conférence sera prononcée en anglais.

Kateryna Shunevych 
Avocate, membre du conseil d’administration de JurFem (depuis 2019) et directrice du centre analytique Jurfem – le groupe de réflexion qui mène des recherches sur le respect des principes d’égalité des genres et de non-discrimination basée sur le sexe dans les activités des autorités publiques (depuis 2020). Kateryna est assistante et doctorante à la Faculté de droit du Département de procédure pénale et de médecine pénale de l’Université nationale Ivan-Franko de Lviv.

Marta Pavlyshyn 
Avocate et spécialiste du centre d’éducation de JurFem, un département qui développe des produits éducatifs dans le domaine de l’égalité des genres, des droits des femmes et de la non-discrimination.

Inscription obligatoire gratuite

Heure: 10h à 12h
Lieu: Salle 2157, pavillon Charles-De Koninck (hybride)

Cette conférence est organisée en collaboration avec:

Formulaire d'inscription
May 05
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Cour pénale internationale

Un quart de siècle de lutte contre l’impunité: quelles perspectives d’avenir pour la Cour pénale internationale?

By Upcoming Events

À quelques semaines du 25e anniversaire de l’adoption du Statut de Rome de la Cour pénale internationale, la première juridiction internationale permanente ayant pour mandat de lutter contre l’impunité des crimes internationaux a déjà parcouru une longue route, non sans difficulté.

Les chemins qu’elle empruntera à l’avenir ne s’annoncent pas sans écueils. Pourra-t-elle offrir une justice aux victimes des crimes commis en Ukraine ? Osera-t-elle jouer un rôle pour protéger l’environnement et responsabiliser les personnes morales ? Réussira-t-elle à convaincre suffisamment pour incarner l’universalité tant souhaitée tout en préservant son indépendance à l’égard des puissances d’aujourd’hui et de demain ? Comment devra-t-elle innover pour s’adapter aux défis du prochain quart de siècle ?

Cette conférence est l’occasion de discuter avec les personnes intervenantes des défis que la Cour pénale internationale devra relever à court et moyen termes.

Personnes intervenantes

Organisations responsables

Clinique de droit international pénal et humanitaire 
Chaire de recherche du Canada sur la justice internationale et les droits fondamentaux
Partenariat canadien pour la justice internationale

Inscription obligatoire gratuite (lien à venir)

Date: 19 mai 2023
Heure: 11h30 à 13h
Lieu: DKN-2419 (et par Zoom)

Formulaire d'inscription
Apr 18
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The Canadian Partnership for International Justice wins Governor General’s Innovation Award

By News, Press Releases

The Rideau Hall Foundation (RHF) announced today the Canadien Partnership for International Justice (CPIJ) is one of the recipients of the height annual Governor General’s Innovation Awards (GGIA). These awards recognize and celebrate exceptional and transformational Canadian innovations, which create a positive impact in Canada and inspire the next generation of innovators.

Led by Professor Fannie Lafontaine, the CPIJ is a pan-Canadian partnership of 25 researchers from 8 universities, 4 university-based legal clinics and 4 non-governmental organizations. A key player in international justice at home and abroad, CPIJ’s activities emphasized the urgency of addressing violent crisis to prevent atrocities, punish perpetrators, reconcile victims and perpetrators, and identify the root causes of these crisis in order to achieve a stable peace.

The CPIJ innovates by building multidisciplinary and cross-sectoral bridges between research and practice through legal clinics, recognized as social innovations, where was trained a multinational cohort of more than 600 students now equipped with knowledge, practical training and diversified network, who embodied the future of international justice.

The production of more than 200 scholarly texts that have been disseminated in several languages, including to civil society, through media articles and blogs, interviews and events, allowed CPIJ to increase knowledge on international justice and to raise awareness about the fight against impunity.

Everywhere, in specialized forums or close to the fieldworkers, CPIJ has brought together, trained, informed, connected and sensitized thousands of people. The team’s numerous interventions on the situation in Ukraine are striking and recent examples, as is its work on colonial genocide and the recognition of a crime of ecocide.

In addition to contributing to the defence of human rights and the construction of a just and inclusive society, CPIJ changed the way research is done.

The award will enable CPIJ to continue and promote its research and training activities to support the fight against impunity for international crimes.

See the Rideau Hall Foundation (RHF) press release.

Dec 09
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Sosa Orantes case: Canada could end 40 years of impunity

By News, Press Releases

December 7th 2022, Quebec City – Lawyers Without Borders Canada (LWBC), in collaboration with the Canadian Partnership for International Justice (CPIJ), calls again on the Canadian government to reconsider its decision not to pursue criminal charges against Jorge Vinicio Sosa Orantes, who is suspected of having participated in the Las Dos Erres massacre in Guatemala 40 years ago today.

On December 7th 1982, the village of Las Dos Erres was ravaged by a special unit of the Guatemalan forces in  which Sosa Orantes served as second lieutenant. Almost the entire population was murdered. Only a handful of children survived, including Ramiro Osorio Cristales, now a Canadian citizen. LWBC, with the support of the CPIJ, is accompanying him in his quest for justice.

The Canadian government initiated proceedings in 2017 to revoke Mr. Sosa Orantes’ Canadian citizenship before the Federal Court. In a May 2022 statement, LWBC and the CPIJ demonstrated the existence of significant risks that he would never face trial if he were to be deported. Despite the support of 20 organizations, the statementignored by the authorities.

The Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act gives the Canadian government the power to initiate criminal proceedings against Mr. Sosa Orantes, ending 40 years of impunity in this case.

LWBC, along with the CPIJ, has repeatedly reminded the Canadian government of its power over the past two years. These calls have gone unanswered.

In May 2022, LWBC went to Ottawa with survivor Ramiro Osorio Cristales to request a meeting with the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, the Honourable David Lametti, to press for criminal charges. The door was closed to them.

On this day of commemoration of the Las Dos Erres tragedy, which happened exactly 40 years ago, in solidarity with Ramiro Osorio Cristales, who every day runs the risk of meeting one of those who committed this horrendous crime, and with all the survivors of the massacre as well as their loved ones, LWBC and the CPIJ once again call on the Canadian government to show courage and bring Mr. Sosa Orantes to justice.

Canada has recently expressed a strong commitment to international criminal justice by being one of the first countries to support investigations into crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in Ukraine. This commitment, which is to be welcomed, should also be translated into an unequivocal refusal to allow Canadian territory to harbour individuals suspected of the most serious crimes.

Dec 01
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Canadian Partnership for International Justice wins SSHRC 2022 Partnership Award

By CPIJ in the Media, News, Press Releases

Today, December 1, 2022, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) will present the 2022 Partnership Award to the Canadian Partnership for International Justice (CPIJ) during a televised ceremony at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa.

The award recognizes the contribution of a SSHRC-funded partnership that, through mutual co-operation and shared intellectual leadership and resources, has demonstrated impact and influence within or beyond the social sciences and humanities research community. The award is one of five Impact Awards which recognize the achievements of Canada’s top researchers in social sciences and humanities.

Led by Professor Fannie Lafontaine (Université Laval), the CPIJ is a pan-Canadian partnership of 25 researchers from 8 universities, 4 university-based legal clinics and 3 non-governmental organizations, which aims to strengthen access to justice for victims of international crimes such as genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

CPIJ’s activities emphasized the urgency of addressing violent crisis to prevent atrocities, punish perpetrators, reconcile victims and perpetrators, and identify the root causes of these crisis in order to achieve a stable peace. Everywhere, in specialized forums or in the field, close to the fieldworkers, CPIJ has brought together, trained, informed, connected and sensitized thousands of people.

In addition to contributing to the defence of human rights and the construction of a just and inclusive society, CPIJ changed the way research is done by establishing a cross-sectoral collaboration between universities, legal clinics, NGOs and international organizations which provides cross-sectional views on the challenges of the fight against impunity, where each person’s expertise is shared and nourished by those of others.

Through this collective and inclusive approach, CPIJ promoted access to justice for victims of serious human rights violations. Its work was a milestone in the fight against systemic racism and discrimination in Canada and beyond. By organizing more than 60 events of all kinds and producing more than 200 scholarly texts that have been disseminated in several languages, including to civil society, through media articles, blogs and interviews, CPIJ increased knowledge on international justice and raised awareness about the fight against impunity.

In particular, it helped to create a multinational cohort of students (600 of whom were trained in legal clinics) with the knowledge, practical training and diverse network who are the future of international justice.

The award, which comes with a $50,000 grant, will enable CPIJ to continue and promote its research.

Oct 17
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Conference “Lawyers Without Borders Belgium-Lawyers Without Borders Canada: Decades of Fighting for Human Rights”

By Upcoming Events

Lawyers Without Borders Canada and Lawyers Without Borders Belgium celebrate their anniversaries together! Come and listen to the executive directors of both organizations share their respective experiences in human rights advocacy, from their beginnings to the current challenges of international cooperation. The impact of shrinking democratic spaces on the missions of human rights organizations and the place of the next generation in their projects will also be discussed.

Speakers: 

  • Chantal Van Cutsem, Lawyers Without Borders Belgium executive director
  • Pascal Paradis, Lawyers Without Borders Canada executive director
  • Mathilde Doucet, PhD sutdent, Faculty of Law, Université Laval and intern at LWBC
  • Virginie Lefèbvre, research professional in charge of the Clinique de droit international pénal et humanitaire
  • Florian Manuch, PhD sutdent, Faculty of Law, Université Laval

Organized in collaboration with: 

Time: 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Location: Room 2419, Charles-De Koninck Building

For information
cdiph.admin@fd.ulaval.ca

Registration Required – Registration Form

Registration Form
May 31
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Victim of a massacre; the Canadian government ignores his call for help

By Communiqués de presse, News

May 30, 2022, Ottawa – The Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, David Lametti, today refused to meet with Ramiro Osorio Cristales, one of the only survivors of a terrible massacre in Guatemala. Mr. Osorio Cristales, a Canadian citizen, has long demanded that Canada try  Jorge Vinicio Sosa Orantes, an alleged war criminal who actively participated in the massacre and who now lives in Canada, having obtained Canadian citizenship.

Lawyers Without Borders Canada (LWBC), which is accompanying Mr. Osorio Cristales and the Guatemalan association of relatives of the victims of the massacre (Familiares de desaparecidos de Guatemala – FAMDEGUA) in their quest for justice, was also present in Ottawa, on his behalf and as a representative of the Canadian Partnership for International Justice (CPIJ), to call on Minister Lametti to act. The Minister has the authority – indeed the duty – under the Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act, as outlined in a statement supported by 18 organizations, which was prepared by LWBC in collaboration with CPIJ.

In 1982, the special unit of which Mr. Sosa Orantes was an officer entered the Guatemalan village of Las Dos Erres and massacred almost the entire civilian population, systematically exterminating men, women, children and newborns. Ramiro Osorio Cristales, then five years old, was one of only two survivors of this massacre.

In the statement, LWBC, CPIJ and the 18 supporting organizations call on:

  • the Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Program to review and document all allegations against Jorge Vinicio Sosa Orantes and to submit a request to the Attorney General of Canada to authorize a prosecution under the Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act;
  • the Attorney General of Canada to consent to the prosecution of Jorge Vinicio Sosa Orantes for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the massacre of Las Dos Erres;
  • the Canadian government to assume its responsibilities towards alleged war criminals in Canada by activating its Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Program and ensuring that it has the necessary means to implement Canada’s obligations to fight impunity for crimes against humanity and war crimes.

Between June and August 2021, LWBC and CPIJ made numerous calls to the government to take action on this issue. These calls went unanswered.

Canada was one of the first countries to support investigations into crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in Ukraine since the Russian invasion. This strong commitment to international criminal justice must be equally strong in Canada. It is time for the Canadian government to act with courage by taking concrete steps to bring Mr. Sosa Orantes to justice. It is not acceptable that Mr. Sosa Orantes – who Canada itself says has committed crimes against humanity – continues to live freely on Canadian soil without being held accountable for these crimes.

Quotes

“I fled to Canada to live in safety, which I have been able to do for the past twenty years. This is no longer the case, one of the criminals who massacred my family, my friends, my village, lives freely in the country. Today, I am confident that the Canadian government will do the right thing: I ask the Minister of Justice, Mr. David Lametti, to initiate criminal proceedings against Jorge Vinicio Sosa Orantes.”

– Ramiro Osorio Cristales, survivor of the Las Dos Erres massacre

“Last June, we asked the government to act on the case of Jorge Vinicio Sosa Orantes. Almost a year later, we are still waiting for the government to act. Today, 18 organizations are joining Lawyers Without Borders Canada in calling for the same thing. Simply revoking citizenship is not enough. To truly fight impunity, Canada must take its responsibilities and bring Jorge Vinicio Sosa Orantes to justice to face charges of crimes against humanity.

– Pascal Paradis, Executive Director of LWBC

View the complete press record here.

Feb 08
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2022 Katia-Boustany Conference «Faire et quitter son nid: retour vers le futur du droit international pénal et humanitaire»

By News, Upcoming Events

On February 22, 2022, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., the SQDI’s 2022 Katia-Boustany Conferene invites you to travel back in time with professors William A. Schabas and Eric David!

Moderated by Professors Julia Grignon and Fannie Lafontaine, the lecture will revisit the most significant developments of the last 40 years in international criminal and humanitarian law, and will consider the different challenges that these fields of international law will face in the next 4 decades.

The conference is the work of a broad partnership, co-organized at Université Laval by the SQDI, the Canada Research Chair on International Criminal Justice and Fundamental Rights, the International Criminal and Humanitarian Law Clinic, the Osons le DIH! partnership development, the research project on the extraterritorial application of international human rights law, and the Canadian Partnership for International Justice, in collaboration with Quid Justitiae.

The conference will be presented online on the Zoom platform. Free admission.

Certificates of attendance will be issued to registered participants only.

Register here
Nov 16
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Conference “The long march towards justice: reflections on the last 40 years of hopes and disappointments”

By Upcoming Events

Juriste, négociateur et homme politique, Romeo Saganash a défendu pendant toute sa carrière les droits de la personne, en particulier ceux des Premières Nations. À l’occasion d’une conférence qui se déroulera le 24 novembre prochain, et dans un contexte où les injustices et les problèmes juridiques auxquels sont confrontés les peuples autochtones occupent plus que jamais l’espace public, il exposera les grands défis de sa carrière et échangera sur la transformation du discours politique.

Quoi : Conférence « La longue marche vers la justice : réflexions des 40 dernières années d’espoirs et de déceptions »
Quand : 24 novembre 2021 de 11 h 30 à 13 h
Où : Amphithéâtre Hydro-Québec, Pavillon Alphonse-Desjardins*

L’inscription à cette activité est obligatoire: https://bit.ly/3Fc7dFb

La conférence est organisée par la Faculté de droit de l’Université Laval en collaboration avec le Partenariat canadien pour la justice internationale, la Chaire de recherche du Canada pour la justice internationale et les droits fondamentaux et le Centre interuniversitaire d’études et de recherches autochtones.

*Veuillez noter qu’un passeport vaccinal ainsi qu’une pièce d’identité seront exigés à l’entrée de la salle.

Détails et informations : evenements@fd.ulaval.ca

Nov 01
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Antigua and Barbuda and Tuvalu to seek Justice for Climate Change damage before International Courts

By Communiqués de presse, News, Press Releases

Embassy of Antigua and Barbuda – Press Release

Edinburgh, October 31st, 2021…   The Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda – current Chair of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) – and the Prime Minister of Tuvalu today signed an historic accord that opens the way for ground-breaking litigation before international courts.  This offers a novel legal path to address the severe damage to Small Island States caused by climate change. 

The Agreement establishes a Commission of Small Island States on Climate Change and International Law, creating a body for the development and implementation of fair and just global environmental norms and practices.  The Commission is also authorized to request advisory opinions from the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) on the legal responsibility of States for carbon emissions, marine pollution, and rising sea levels.  

Membership in the Commission is open to all Small Island States whose leaders have long complained about the absence of effective mechanisms for States most responsible for climate change to compensate for the resulting loss and damage. 

At the signing ceremony in Edinburgh, the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Browne, explained that: “Small Island States’ emission of greenhouse gases is negligible, but they bear the overwhelming burden of its catastrophic effects, including persistent destruction, repeated costs of rebuilding and huge debts to finance resilience.  This injustice must end.    We insist that those States most responsible for this dire situation respect their legal obligations to stop global warming and to provide compensation to its victims.  The time for empty promises is over.”  Prime Minister of Tuvalu, Kausea Natano, stressed that: “For us, climate justice is a matter of survival.  Rising sea levels, extreme weather events, the decline of marine resources – these threaten our very existence.  We see better than anyone else what is being done to our beautiful planet.  It is time to put words into action, to save Small Island States, and to save the world from impending disaster.” 

The legal counsel to the Commission, Professor Payam Akhavan of Massey College, University of Toronto, and Member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague, said that: “Small Island States are the canary in the coalmine of climate catastrophe.  Their fate is a warning to all humankind that the disastrous consequences of global warming are happening now, not in a distant future.  The fundamental principle of international law not to cause harm to others has now taken on an unprecedented dimension.  This historic initiative to pursue climate justice should be welcome by all who care about the future of our planet.” 

For media enquires please contact: COSIS.COP26@gmail.com

Read the Agreement for the establishment of COSIS. (PDF, 3,6 Mo)