Wayamo Foundation

Lecture: Fear & Loathing in DC
2018-10-25 13:00 - 15:00 (Europe/Berlin) | Charlottesville, 580 Massie Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903, United States
Mark Kersten, Deputy Director of the Wayamo Foundation spoke at the following event:
Fear & Loathing in DC: Change and Continuity in US Relations with the International Criminal Court
Thursday 25 October 2018 at the University of Virginia
1:00pm, WB114
The Human Rights Program hosted a conversation with Mark Kersten, deputy director of the Wayamo Foundation and a fellow based at the Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto. He is also author of the book, “Justice in Conflict: The Effects of the International Criminal Court’s Interventions on Ending Wars and Building Peace.”

The International Criminal Court (ICC) , according to the Trump administration, is “dead to us ”. This remarkable change in tone from the Obama administration feels like a throw – back to the early days of the Bush Presidency. Despite polarized rhetoric, there is both change and continuity in Washington’s policies towards the ICC. Dr. Mark Kersten’s lecture focused on the implications of this change and continuity on the legitimacy of the Court.

ECCHR Discussion: 20 years after Pinochet's arrest
2018-10-17 16:30 - 20:00 | Berlin, BERLINER ABGEORDNETENHAUS NIEDERKIRCHNERSTRASSE 5, Berlin, 10117
Angela Mudukuti, International Criminal Justice Lawyer at the Wayamo Foundation, spoke at the following event organised by ECCHR:
20 years after Pinochet’s arrest: the past and present of transnational justice
ECCHR Discussion
17.10.2018, 16:30 pm
Berliner Abgeordnetenhaus
Niederkirchnerstrasse 5, 10117 Berlin

Berlin’s past and present reveal several links to severe human rights violations, as well as to efforts to address past atrocities. The International Military Tribunal, which went on to prosecute Nazi crimes in Nuremberg, sat in Berlin on 18 October 1945. In Berlin on 17 October 1998, survivors of Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship celebrated after Pinochet was arrested in London. And in the same year, Berlin-based lawyers, politicians and members of the civil society strove for the establishment of the International Criminal Court.
On the occasion of the anniversaries of these diverse historical events, the parliamentary groups of Die Linke und Bündnis 90/Die Grünen in the Berlin House of Representatives together with the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) and the Forschungs- und Dokumentationszentrum Chile-Lateinamerika e.V. (Centre for Research and Documentation Chile-Latin America, FDCL) hosted an event.
Survivors, activists and lawyers from Chile and Germany discussed how transnational justice can succeed and what still remains be done.
Panelists included Sebastian Schlüsselburg, spokesperson for legal policy, parliamentary group of Die Linke in the Berlin House of Representatives; Antje Kapek, chairwoman of Bündnis 90/Die Grünen parliamentary group in the Berlin House of Representatives; Naomi Roht-Arriaza, professor of law, University of California, and author of The Pinochet Effect: Transnational Justice in the Age of Human Rights; Winfried Hempel, lawyer and former resident of Colonia Dignidad; Angela Mudukuti, International Criminal Justice Lawyer at the Wayamo Foundation (Berlin), Petra Schlagenhauf, lawyer, and Wolfgang Kaleck, General Secretary of ECCHR.
Please, find the full programm to the event here.

Please register via the ECCHR website.

South Africa and international criminal justice – the way forward
2018-08-29 09:00 - 17:00 | Cape Town, 76 Orange St, Gardens, Cape Town,, 8001, South Africa
At a crucial point in time, when South Africa’s longstanding commitment to the International Criminal Court (ICC) hangs in the balance, and many countries across Africa and other parts of the world are looking on with real interest at the direction it will take, the Africa Group for Justice and Accountability (AGJA) and the Wayamo Foundation held a one-day public symposium in Cape Town on the issue. The event was made possible thanks to the combined generosity of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, the German Federal Foreign Office, the European Union, and the Government of Canada.
Not only did the symposium prove highly successful in bringing together a varied and prestigious group of international and local experts on international criminal justice, non-governmental organisations, academics, practitioners and members of civil society, but it also managed to address topics of pressing concern and importance, ranging from “International Criminal Justice – The Road Ahead”, “South Africa and the ICC – Where Now” and “The UNSC-ICC Relationship and Head of State Immunity” to “Thinking Outside the ICC Box: Domestic and Hybrid Justice for core international crimes”.

Capacity-building workshop on “Strengthening Justice and Accountability in Nigeria
2018-05-21 - 2018-05-23 | Lagos, Nigeria
The recently concluded 3-day workshop held by the Wayamo Foundation and the International Nuremberg Principles Academy in Abuja from 21 to 23 May, is the fifth in the current series of training sessions on “Strengthening Justice and Accountability in Nigeria”, and was purpose-designed to impart joint training for 32 senior military and civil investigators and prosecutors. The overall aim is to equip Nigerian prosecutors and investigators with the necessary expertise and skills to address serious and complex international, transnational and terrorism-related crimes under Nigerian criminal law, including crimes that may potentially fall under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Capacity building workshop and Joan Kagezi Memorial Lecture
2018-04-12 - 2018-04-13 | kampala, Uganda
On 13 April, Wayamo Foundation Director Bettina Ambach and Deputy Director Mark Kersten participated in the third annual Joan Kagezi Memorial Lecture on the theme of “Combating International and Transnational Organised Crime: Lessons Learnt and Best Practices”. The Wayamo Foundation had the privilege of co-organising the event with its partners in the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). The event celebrated the life of Joan Kagezi, a senior prosecutor in Uganda’s International Crimes Division, who was assassinated in March 2015.
Click here for Memorial Lecture Report.
This event was preceded by a training workshop on 12 April with the focus on the fight against international and transnational organised crimes. In line with the Wayamo Foundation’s mandate and mission, the aim of the workshop was to build local capacities in order to address core international crimes and transnational organised crimes domestically. This workshop was designed as part of Wayamo’s ongoing efforts to put the principle of complementarity into effective practice, whilst simultaneously fostering co-operation between the international criminal justice community and national legal actors.

International Justice Symposium : "Networks of Accountability: Justice for International and Transnational Organized Crimes"
2018-02-27 | Nairobi, Kenya
In February and March of this year, the Wayamo Foundation concluded a series of five key events (two meetings and three activities) in so many days in Nairobi, Kenya, as part of its “Fighting Impunity in East Africa” project, an initiative funded by the German Foreign Ministry.
The stated objectives of the Symposium were to discuss the status of international criminal justice, analyse transnational organised crimes, and explore the linkages between the two sets of crimes. The Symposium was followed by a training session for a select group of senior East African investigators and prosecutors, a high-level network meeting of Directors of Public Prosecution and Heads of Criminal Investigations from Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, as well as a special media component for journalists from the region.
Click here for Symposium report.

International Symposium in Kigali: "Fighting Impunity in East Africa"
2017-11-21 | Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda
Over a three-day period from 20 to 22 November 2017, Kigali, Rwanda, played host to the latest in the Wayamo Foundation’s series of East African international justice conferences aimed at exploring the current state of international criminal justice, its links with transnational organised crime, and national and regional efforts to deal with these crimes. The event was held thanks to the unstinting collaboration of the Rwandan Ministry of Justice and the financial support of the German Federal Foreign Office.
Another of the programme’s pillars was the following day’s intensive training session for investigators and prosecutors from Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, aimed at building competencies in the investigation and prosecution of international and transnational crimes domestically. This model is purpose-designed to put the complementarity principle into practice, while at the sometime fostering synergies between the international criminal justice community and national legal actors.
However, the pillar of greatest potential practical importance was arguably the second High-level Network Meeting of Directors of Public Prosecution and Heads of Criminal Investigation Departments from Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda on Monday 20 November, aimed at strengthening the rule of law by ensuring effective investigation and prosecution of complex crimes and intensifying inter-agency collaboration at the regional level. It is intended that the network will have three main functions: (1) to serve as a mechanism for exchanging knowledge, sharing policies, tools, templates and guidelines on topics such as witness protection, witness interviewing, arrest and extradition; (2) to enhance the working relationship between police and prosecutors during the course of investigations; and (3) to be an avenue for regional and cross-border collaboration and mutual legal assistance in international and transnational criminal cases.

Capacity building for civil and military prosecutors to address the most serious and complex crimes under Nigerian criminal law, Lagos, Nigeria
2017-11-02 - 2017-11-04 | Nigeria, Lagos, Nigeria
Over the course of three days, from 2nd to 4th November 2017, the Wayamo Foundation, Africa Group for Justice and Accountability (AGJA) and International Nuremberg Principles Academy held the fourth of the current series of capacity-building workshops on “Strengthening Justice and Accountability in Nigeria”.
This workshop marked a radical shift in that it was the first to combine training for both military and civil investigators and prosecutors on how to address the most serious and complex crimes under Nigerian criminal law (international, transnational and terrorism related crimes), including crimes that potentially fall under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC). Both military and civil participants indicated that the workshop had been “very interactive, informative and educational.”

The Africa Group mission to The Gambia
2017-10-30 - 2017-11-03 | The Gambia, Banjul, Gambia
From 31 October to 3 November 2017, the Africa Group for Justice and Accountability (AGJA) and the Wayamo Foundation sent a fact-finding delegation to The Gambia. The delegation arrived in The Gambia in response to an invitation by Justice Minister Abubacarr Tambadou. Its aim was to understand the nature of The Gambia’s ongoing transition from authoritarian rule under former President Yahya Jammeh to democracy and the rule of law. Over a series of broad consultations with key stakeholders in the transitional process, the delegation sought to understand the challenges and priorities regarding the achievement of justice and accountability in the country. The delegation was led by former Chief Justice of Tanzania, Mohamed Chande Othman and included human rights advocate Fatiha Serour (Algeria) and Wayamo Foundation Deputy Director Mark Kersten (Canada).
Based on the delegation’s consultations as well as ongoing research on the country’s transition conducted at the Wayamo Foundation, the mission report offers a series of recommendations to authorities and officials in The Gambia as they continue to work on achieving justice and accountability and building a state that eagerly and effectively defends the rule of law and human rights. It is also expected that it will inform the work of the Wayamo Foundation, AGJA and other partners interested in further supporting The Gambia’s transition process.

Judges´ retreat on judicial independence
2017-08-08 | Tanzania, Kanisa Road, Arusha, Tanzania, United Republic Of
As part of the Wayamo Foundation’s commitment to spreading knowledge and building capacity among judges in the East African region, the symposium was followed by a one-day retreat on 8 August (see programme), attended by fifteen judges from national, regional, and international courts. They shared experiences in tackling transnational organised crime, building effective judiciaries and courts, and protecting the independence of their institutions. By enhancing knowledge of the judiciary’s role in addressing serious and transnational crimes, the ultimate goal is to build competency to address such crimes domestically and an understanding of the complementary role of national, regional and international courts. The retreat was a powerful demonstration of the commitment shown by both the participants and the Wayamo Foundation to strengthen the rule of law through the fostering of strong, independent and effective judiciaries.

International Symposium: “Judicial Independence — A Foundation for Combatting International and Transnational Crime”
2017-08-07 | Tanzania, Kanisa Road, Arusha, Tanzania, United Republic Of
On 7 August, Arusha played host to an international symposium at the Mount Meru Hotel, aimed at exploring: judicial independence, integrity and ethics in the fight against international and transnational crime; case studies on the role of the judiciary in addressing human trafficking and corruption; and the relationship between domestic, regional, and international courts in combatting serious crimes (see programme).
As part of the Wayamo Foundation’s commitment to spreading knowledge and building capacity among judges in the East African region, the symposium was followed by a one-day retreat on 8 August (see programme), attended by fifteen judges from national, regional, and international courts. They shared experiences in tackling transnational organised crime, building effective judiciaries and courts, and protecting the independence of their institutions. By enhancing knowledge of the judiciary’s role in addressing serious and transnational crimes, the ultimate goal is to build competency to address such crimes domestically and an understanding of the complementary role of national, regional and international courts. The retreat was a powerful demonstration of the commitment shown by both the participants and the Wayamo Foundation to strengthen the rule of law through the fostering of strong, independent and effective judiciaries.

International Symposium and capacity building, Dakar, Senegal
2017-07-07 - 2017-07-08 | Senegal, Boulevard Martin Luther King, Dakar, Senegal
From 7-8 July 2017, Senegal’s capital of Dakar was the scene of a public symposium entitled, “Changing the Narrative – From Withdrawal to Constructive Engagement”.
Click here for the Symposium report.
Convened by the Wayamo Foundation and the Africa Group for Justice and Accountability (AGJA), the symposium brought together a number of leading stakeholders, experts, scholars, and practitioners in order to discuss a range of topics, including the current status of the relationship between African states and the International Criminal Court (ICC), possible reforms to improve the Court and interpreting the African Union’s (AU) ICC Withdrawal Strategy as a package of reforms, the role of hybrid mechanisms in prosecuting international crimes, combating impunity at a regional level, the coming into force of the crime of aggression, and the thorny issue of sequencing peace and justice.
As a continuation of their ongoing commitment to justice and accountability across the continent, the Wayamo Foundation and AGJA convened a capacity building workshop from 10-11 July, following their two-day public symposium. The two-day training workshop (see programme) brought together for the first time the members of the Special Criminal Court (SCC) of the Central African Republic (CAR). Participants included the judges, prosecutor and deputy prosecutor. Over the course of the two days, members of staff were given the opportunity to learn from the experiences and lessons of colleagues from other international organisations and courts, including the Extraordinary African Chambers (EAC) which had successfully prosecuted Hissène Habré in 2016.

Capacity building for military prosecutors to address the most serious and complex crimes under Nigerian criminal law, Lagos, Nigeria
2017-06-28 - 2017-06-30 | Nigeria, Lagos, Nigeria
Lagos played host to Capacity-building for military prosecutors to address the most serious and complex crimes under Nigerian criminal law. From 28-30 June, Wayamo organised a capacity-building workshop for military investigators and prosecutors on ‘STRENGTHENING JUSTICE AND ACCOUNTABILITY IN NIGERIA’ at the Southern Sun Hotel Ikoyi in Lagos (see programme).
The three-day workshop was organised by the Wayamo Foundation, the International Nuremberg Principles Academy and the Africa Group for Justice and Accountability and was opened by General Yusuf Shalangwa, the Director of Legal Services of the Nigerian Army.
This June workshop is the first training session for Nigerian military investigators and prosecutors. The Chief of Army Staff has kindly agreed to send 20 investigators and prosecutors to the workshop. The objective of the ongoing training programme is to build capacity to address the most serious and complex crimes under Nigerian criminal law (international, transnational and terrorism- related crimes), including those crimes that potentially fall under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court.

International Symposium: “Fighting Impunity in East Africa – Ensuring accountability for international and transnational organised crimes”
2017-06-05 - 2017-06-08 | Tanzania, Kanisa Road, Arusha, Tanzania, United Republic Of
Arusha played host to an international symposium at the Mount Meru Hotel on 6 June 2017. The symposium aimed at exploring the current state of international criminal justice, its links with transnational organised crime, and national and regional efforts to deal with these crimes across East Africa. The event welcomed some 80 experts on international and transnational criminal law, academics, legal practitioners, the media and civil society organisations from across Africa and other parts of the world.
Click here for Symposium Report.
As part of the project’s launch activities, the Wayamo Foundation facilitated the first network meeting of Directors of Public Prosecution and Heads of Criminal Investigation Departments, as well as a two-day training session for prosecutors and investigators from Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. By enhancing knowledge in the areas of the investigation and prosecution of international and transnational crimes, with special sessions on cyber-crime and financial crimes, the ultimate goal of such training is to build competency to address these crimes domestically.

South African-German Justice Dialogue
2017-03-27 - 2017-03-28 | South Africa, Pretoria
Taking place from 27 – 28 March 2017 in Pretoria, South Africa, the South African-German Justice Dialogue brought together South African, German and international experts in the areas of international criminal law and human rights, as well as 20 -25 participants, including diplomats, civil society representatives and academics.
The event has been organised by the Wayamo Foundation in cooperation with the German Federal Foreign Office.

The event commenced with welcoming remarks by Michael Koch, Director-General, Legal Department, Federal Foreign Office, Germany, and the keynote speech delivered by Navi Pillay, Former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (see programme).

Capacity building for prosecutors to address the most serious and complex crimes under Nigerian criminal law
2017-03-13 - 2017-03-15 | Nigeria, Lagos, Nigeria
Wednesday 15 March 2017 saw the close of the Wayamo Foundation’s second capacity-building workshop aimed at helping Nigerian prosecutors address the most serious and complex crimes under Nigerian criminal law. This forms part of a larger, ongoing programme to strengthen justice and accountability in Nigeria, which is being implemented by Wayamo, the International Nuremberg Principles Academy and the Africa Group for Justice and Accountability in collaboration with the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Justice.
Judging by the reactions of the participants and trainers alike, the workshop was a resounding success, with a hands-on, interactive, practice-oriented approach that allowed for some extremely lively and instructive discussion, further insight into the international dimensions of the work involved, and ample space for a series of challenging exercises, purpose-designed to hone their prosecution skills and test their ability to work in teams on real case scenarios.
