Authors: Belinda, Adrienne Lea, Ben Alberton
On our second and final day attending lectures at Utrecht University, we woke early and headed to the beautiful town for a 9:15am start. We were treated to a morning presentation by Dr. Brianne McGonigle. For all of us, particularly those with a real interest in international criminal law, the lecture proved to be fascinating. Dr McGonigle shared with us just a small portion of her vast knowledge gained from her amazing experiences, including working in the ECCC, on the post-Khmer Rouge cases in Cambodia. She had us captivated from the very beginning, making reference to Naomi Campbell as an ‘image of international criminal law’ – due to her testimony in the prosecution of Charles Taylor from Sierra Leone – who supposedly gave her blood diamonds. She engagingly explained the various organs involved in international law, the Nuremberg principles, factors influencing international criminal law, and the process involved in prosecutions. Also, she passionately undertook to critically analyse some of the issues and flaws in the field, particularly in relation to the ICC and its relationship with Africa, neo-colonial critique, lack of state cooperation, and minimal support from the UN Security Council. I think the sheer number of questions, and that the lecture ended up going for an hour longer than originally planned is testament to how much we all enjoyed the content. The lecture was a perfect prelude to our site visit to the ICC on Wednesday.
With only an hour of free time for lunch, many students made the most of the student town lunch specials and nearby cheap coffee. A couple of students met up with Adelaide University students on exchange in Utrecht; one student even embarking on a brisk bike ride around the city. After lunch we were treated to lecture concerning Indonesian law, which was co-presented by Dr. Michael Milo and Dr Hayyan ul Haq. The first half of the lecture – presented by Dr Milo – provided students with the historical context of the development of the legal system in Indonesia, especially with respect to the effect of Dutch colonialism. Dr Hayyan ul Haq, in his portion of time, gave an insightful view into the current state of the Indonesian legal system, and we found ourselves struck by the incoherence and sheer complexity of the system as it currently exists, especially in regards to the intricate interactions between local ‘Adat law’ and the Dutch-inherited codified regulations which exist within the Indonesian prefectures. These lectures were particularly pertinent given Indonesia is one of Australia’s closest regional neighbours.
Following the conclusion of our final day of lectures at Utrecht law school, students were given free time to explore; some choosing to remain in Utrecht to explore the picturesque city, whilst others returned to the base in The Hague.
