Annual Grotius Lecture 2023: Immunity and International Criminal Tribunals 

Event Details

Speaker: Judge Joanna Korner CMG KC, International Criminal Court
Chair: Professor Philippa Webb, King's College London

We are delighted to announce that Judge Joanna Korner CMG KC, of the International Criminal Court, has agreed to give this year's lecture on the fascinating subject of "Immunity and International Criminal Tribunals". Judge Korner will trace the evolution of the doctrine of immunity from prosecution for heads of State and other high officials, from the Tokyo and Nuremberg Trials through to the International Criminal Court. Whether immunity can act as a bar to the arrest and prosecution of alleged perpetrators of international crimes remains a highly topical and hotly debated area and we look forward to a stimulating lecture and Q & A session.

Judge Joanna Korner CMG KC has practised criminal law for more than 45 years as a judge and barrister. Prior to assuming her role as a judge of the ICC in 2021, she served since 2012 as a judge of the Crown Court of England and Wales, trying the most serious and complex criminal cases, including cases of fraud and murder. Queen's Counsel since 1993, she has also prosecuted and defended in numerous cases in the courts of England and Wales.

Her experience includes a total of eight years (1999-2004 and 2009-2012) as a senior prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, including leading in the cases of Prosecutor v. Mićo Stanišić and Stojan Župljanin, Prosecutor v. Radoslav Brđjanin and Momir Talić, and Prosecutor v. Milomir Stakić.

As a renowned expert, Judge Korner has organised and taught on numerous training programmes on international criminal law and advocacy for judges and lawyers from different regions. Between 2004-2005, she was Senior Legal Adviser to the Chief Prosecutor of Bosnia and Herzegovina, during the establishment of a War Crimes Section in the country's State Prosecutor's Office.

Judge Korner studied law at the Inns of Court School of Law. In 2004, she was appointed Companion of the Order of St. Michael and St. George ("CMG") for services to international law.

The lecture will be chaired by Philippa Webb, Professor of Public International Law, King's College London.

This event is convened by Anthony Wenton, Research Fellow in Public International Law

Recording

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