Summer Law Program in The Hague
on International Criminal Law and Legal Approaches to Terrorism
Please click "Learn More" below to find out how to enroll in this year's program.
鶹ƽWCL Team Wins Second Place at the 12th Annual Clara Barton International Humanitarian Law Competition.
March 24, 2025
FromMarch 21 to 23, 2025, 鶹ƽWCL studentsPaige Carter, Olivia Kaempf, and Tim Streitrepresented鶹ƽ Washington College of Lawat the12th Annual Clara Barton International Humanitarian Law Competition, securing an impressivesecond-place finish.
TheClara Barton Competition, hosted by theAmerican Red Cross, is a premiersimulation-based legal competitiondesigned to challenge participants ininternational humanitarian law (IHL)through immersive role-playing exercises. Competitors navigate legal, policy, and humanitarian challenges arising in armed conflict and crisis situations, testing their ability to apply IHL to real-world scenarios.
The 鶹ƽWCL team demonstrated outstanding advocacy and legal expertise, earning the following prestigious awards:
- Competition Awards
- Individual
- Best Oral Advocate: Olivia Kaempf
- Team
- Second Place Winner
- Individual
- Honorable Mentions
- Best Application Brief
Prior to competing at Clara Barton, the team also represented 鶹ƽWCL at theJean-Pictet International Humanitarian Law Competition, held fromFebruary 22 to March 1, 2025, in Indonesia. The Jean-Pictet Competition is a globally recognized event that immerses participants in real-world applications of IHL through intensive role-playing exercises.
The team was selected and coached by鶹ƽWCL’s War Crimes Research Office (WCRO)Director Susana SaCoutoand Jean-Pictet Competition alumscurrent 3L Amal Rass and Jack Kirk, JD ’24.
WCRO Director Susana SáCouto attends the 25th Anniversary of the Women’s International War Crimes Tribunal
March 18, 2025
OnMarch 18, 2025,Professor Susana SáCouto, Director of the War Crimes Research Office (WCRO),erved as a guest speaker at the25th Anniversary of the Women’s International War Crimes Tribunal (WIWCT)atUnited Nations Plaza in New York City.
The event, titled"Justice Beyond Borders: Advancing the Women’s Tribunal’s Legacy to Prosecute War Crimes Against Women,"was co-hosted by theGlobal Network of Women Peace Builders (GNWP)and theUnited Methodist Church General Board of Church and Society. The gathering honored the legacy of theComfort Women and the Women’s International War Crimes Tribunal for the Trial of Japan’s Military Sexual Slavery, reflecting on its impact and ongoing relevance in the fight for justice, reparation, and accountability for conflict-related sexual violence.
TheWomen’s Tribunal Feminist Collective, which organized the event, continues to challenge howinternational humanitarian lawhas historically marginalized war crimes against women.
WCRO Director Susana SáCouto Speaks on Hostage-Taking, Torture, and Women
March 5, 2025
On March 5, 2025, in honor of International Women’s Day, theKovler Project Against Torturehosted the panel“Hostage-Taking, Torture, and Women: Perspectives Under International Law.”This discussion examined the legal and human rights challenges women face in situations of torture and hostage-taking.WCRO DirectorProfessor Susana SáCoutojoined the panel to share insights on advances and challenges in the investigation and prosecution of Sexual and Gender Based Violence in the context of abductions and hostage taking. The panel also featuredProfessor Diego Rodríguez Pinzón, Co-Director of the Academy on Human Rights (moderator);Professor Claudio Grossman, Faculty Director of KPAT and former Chairperson of the UN Committee Against Torture; andToby Schwartz, Director of Consular Policy, Arbitrary Detention, and Hostage Affairs (Canada).
WCRO Director Susana SáCouto Speaks at Spring Symposium on Vulnerability in the Law
February24, 2025.
On February 24, 2025, WCRO Director Susana SáCouto served as a panelist at the Human Rights Brief Spring Symposium on Vulnerability in the Law, hosted by the Center for Human Rights & Humanitarian Law at 鶹ƽ Washington College of Law..
Professor SáCouto spoke on the panel "Prosecuting Gender-Based Crimes as International Crimes: Challenges and Opportunities," alongside Lindsay Freeman, Director of Technology, Law & Policy at the Human Rights Center, UC Berkeley School of Law, with moderation by WCL JD student, Amal Rass. The discussion focused on the advances and continuing challenges in the investigation and prosecution of gender-based crimes as international crimes, including the growing role of digital evidence in these cases.
WCRO Director Susana SáCouto Speaks at NYSBA Presidential Summit on Conflict-Related Sexual Violence
January 15, 2025.
On January 15, 2025, at the Annual New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) Meeting, War Crimes Research Office (WCRO) Director Susana SáCouto joined panelists Abid Shamdeen and Dr. Cochav Elkayam Levy at the Presidential Summit to address the critical issue of conflict-related sexual violence.
The panel provided key insights into the legal and human impact of these atrocities, the challenges of prosecution, and the essential role of attorneys in seeking justice for survivors. Their discussion emphasized the ongoing need for accountability and stronger support mechanisms for those affected by these crimes.
WCRO 2024 Annual Newsletter
December 17, 2024.
Read more about the WCRO's accomplishments this year.
WCRO Director Susana SáCouto Co-leads Workshops in Bogotá in Support of Colombia’s Special Jurisdiction for Peace
October 2, 2024.
On September 26 and 27, Professor SáCouto traveled to Bogotá, Colombia, to conduct a series of workshops and meetings with colleagues from the Laboratorio de Justicia Política y Criminal (a Colombia-based non-profit organization with expertise providing technical assistance to transitional and criminal justice mechanisms, and law enforcement agencies) for magistrates and staff of Colombia’s Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP). These activities are part of a multi-year State Department-funded initiative titled“Enhancing the Impact of Colombia’s Special Jurisdiction for Peace through a Holistic Transitional Justice Approach,”which was recently extended for an additional two years. The project has four key objectives: 1) strengthening the capacity of the JEP to redress atrocity crimes committed during the Colombian conflict, in particular, by those who facilitated, ordered or failed to prevent or punish those crimes; 2) ensuring the JEP’s cases reflect a gender perspective and intersectional approach; 3) enhancing victim participation in JEP processes; and 4) bolstering current efforts to ensure that victims have access to competent and independent legal representation.
Career Power Hour
September 12, 2024.
On September 12, WCRO Director SáCouto moderated a Career Power Hour sponsored by theWar Crimes Research Office (WCRO)andOffice of Career & Professional Development.The session featured WCRO alumni council members sharing their career journeys, valuable advice, and tips on navigating the human rights, international humanitarian law and international criminal law field. This amazing panelists include:Vy Nguyen( JD '15),Tara Vassefi(JD '16),Ali Boyd(JD '19) andKate Holcombe(JD '18).The event offered a fantastic opportunity for students to engage in 1-on-1 conversations with these esteemed professionals, learning firsthand about "a day in the life" in HR/IHL/ICLlegal career paths.
WCRO Co-Sponsors Symposium with 鶹ƽ International Law Review Titled: "The Longest Arm: Universal Jurisdiction and War Crimes Prosecution"
April 5, 2024
On Friday, April 5th, the WCRO co-sponsored the full-day symposium, The Longest Arm: Universal Jurisdiction and War Crimes Prosecution with WCL’s 鶹ƽ International Law Review. The event brought together practitioners, students, and scholars to explore the use of universal jurisdiction (UJ) to address atrocity crimes. WCRO Assistant Director Natalie Coburn welcomed attendees on behalf of the Office and introduced a panel addressing the factors that trigger the use of UJ. The day closed with a discussion on UJ trends and applicability to the war in Ukraine as well as to the Syrian regime’s brutal crackdown on dissent since 2011.
WCRO Director SáCouto Chairs a Session at the International Conference of Prosecutors on Accountability for Conflict-Related Sexual Violence
March 27, 2024
On March 27, WCRO Director SáCouto chaired a session at the 3-day International Conference of Prosecutors on Accountability for Conflict-Related Sexual Violence, organized by the UN Team of Experts on Rule of Law/Sexual Violence in Conflict and co-sponsored by the governments of The Netherlands, United Kingdom and France, held at the Peace Palace in The Hague. The session featured a discussion with two Guatemalan prosecutors who played a critical role in the landmark Sepur Zarco case, which provided redress for indigenous victims of sexual violence and sexual slavery that occurred during Guatemala’s civil war.
WCRO Director SáCouto Participates In Conversation about “Putin’s Ghost Army: Prospects for Accountability for Russian Irregulars”
March 21, 2024
On March 21, WCRO Director SáCouto joined Beth VanSchaack, State Department Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice, and Candace Rondeaux, Senior Director of the Future Frontlines program at New America, for a conversation about “Putin’s Ghost Army: Prospects for Accountability for Russian Irregulars” at an in-person luncheon co hosted by New America, the McCain Institute and the War Crimes Research Office and moderated by Paul Fagan, Director of Democracy Programs at the McCain Institute.