PILPG Update

Blue Ribbon Experts Group Launched to Facilitate Establishment of Liberia War Crimes Tribunal

May 14, 2007

On May 2-3, 2007, the Public International Law & Policy Group in partnership with Case Western Reserve University School of Law, hosted the inaugural meeting of a Blue Ribbon Experts Group, which is developing plans to establish a tribunal "to prosecute those individuals who bear the greatest responsibility for the murder, rape, maiming, and mutilation of tens of thousands of Liberians and other West Africans during the time frame of 1991-2003 in Liberia."

The project is the brainchild of PILPG member David Crane, former Chief Prosecutor of the Special Court for Sierra Leone. The participating experts included David Scheffer, former US Ambassador At Large for War Crimes Issues; Michael Johnson, former Chief Administrator of the War Crimes Chamber of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina; Peter Pham, Director of the Nelson Institute for International and Public Affairs and formerly U.S. Representative to Liberia; Professor Michael Newton of Vanderbilt Law School; and Case law professor Michael Scharf, Director of the Frederick K. Cox International Law Center and Managing Director of PILPG.

During the next year, drawing upon the recently published PILPG "Handbook on Establishing a War Crimes Tribunal" (available at http://www.pilpg.org/EstablishingWarCrimesTribunal.pdf), the group will be developing a list of possible suspects and related charges, as well as a proposed statute with procedures and rules of evidence by which to try them, and a comprehensive report analyzing the likely legal issues that will arise.

About the Public International Law & Policy Group

The Public International Law & Policy Group (PILPG) is a global, pro bono law firm providing legal assistance to governments and states involved in conflicts. To facilitate use of this legal assistance, PILPG also provides policy formation advice and training on matters related to conflict resolution. In 2005 PILPG was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

PILPG's primary practice areas are Peacebuilding, International Justice, Post-Conflict Political Development, and Public International Law. To provide pro bono legal advice and policy formulation expertise, PILPG relies almost exclusively on volunteer legal assistance from more than sixty former international lawyers, diplomats, and foreign relations experts, as well as pro bono assistance from major international law firms. Annually, PILPG is able to provide over $10 million worth of pro bono international legal services.

Because of its diverse network of volunteers, PILPG is able to maintain volunteer points of contact in London, Paris, New York, Washington D.C., Cleveland, Boston, Rome, The Hague, Stockholm, Brussels, Kabul, Nairobi, and Seattle. In July 1999, the United Nations granted official Non-Governmental Organization status to PILPG.

The Managing Board of PILPG includes:

Paul Williams - Executive Director

Michael Scharf - Managing Director

James Hooper - Managing Director

To learn more about the Public International Law & Policy Group, please visit our website at http://www.pilpg.org