March 11, 2009

"Cross-Fire" Panel of Insiders to Preview "Trial of the Century"

Two Case Western Reserve University Law Professors to be Involved in Discussion

With the long-anticipated international war crimes trial of Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic in The Hague and the first Khmer Rouge Genocide Trial in Phnom Penh both set to begin later this month, Case Western Reserve University School of Law's Frederick K. Cox International Law Center and the Greater Cleveland International Lawyers Group have assembled a panel of leading experts and insiders to preview these historic trials. The panelists will examine the challenges of ensuring a fair and effective trial in light of lessons from other "trials of the century."

Karadzic will be representing himself in court, raising concern that he will attempt to hijack the trial. Similarly, the Khmer Rouge defendants are represented by infamous defense counsel Jacques Verges, known for his strategy of trial by disruption.

The panel will be in "cross-fire" format, moderated by WCPN's Dan Moulthrop, and will be broadcast on C-SPAN.

The discussion will be held at the City Club of Cleveland, 850 Euclid Avenue, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., Tuesday, March 17, with lunch from 11:45 to 12:30 p.m. The City Club is Cleveland's most famous lecture venue, and has been the location of major speeches by U.S. presidents, secretaries of state and other prominent figures.

The panel features:

  • Henry King, professor of law, former Nuremberg prosecutor and Honorary Consul General of Canada to Northeast Ohio;
  • Lt. Col. (ret.) Michael Newton, former deputy to the U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues, Vanderbilt University law professor and co-author of the critically acclaimed book Enemy of the State;
  • Peter Robinson, former assistant U.S. attorney, senior defense counsel for Radovan Karadzic and author of the legal thriller, The Tribunal; and
  • Michael Scharf, professor of law, 2005 Nobel Peace Prize nominee, former attorney-adviser for U.N. Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, director of the Frederick K. Cox International Law Center, and Enemy of the State co-author.

The luncheon charge is $15 for members of the Greater Cleveland International Lawyers Group, $25 for non-members, $10 for students, and free for members of the media. Reservations must be received by 9 a.m., Friday, March 13, to Kathleen Jablonski at (216) 696-0740. Checks can be received at the door and should be made payable to "Greater Cleveland International Lawyers Group."

For more information contact Susan Griffith, 216.368.1004.

Posted by: Kimyette Finley, March 11, 2009 01:53 PM | News Topics: Collaborations/Partnerships, Events, Provost Initiatives, School of Law, news

Case Western Reserve University is committed to the free exchange of ideas, reasoned debate and intellectual dialogue. Speakers and scholars with a diversity of opinions and perspectives are invited to the campus to provide the community with important points of view, some of which may be deemed controversial. The views and opinions of those invited to speak on the campus do not necessarily reflect the views of the university administration or any other segment of the university community.