On the occasion of the 30th International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement in Geneva at the end of November 2007, the IHFFC organised a side-event on Fact-Finding as a Means to Better Implement IHL: Current Issues. The IHFFC was delighted to welcome Louise Doswald-Beck, professor and director at the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights (ADH) and board member of the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), who shared her valuable knowledge on this topic with the audience.
Mrs. Doswald-Beck participated in the ICJ fact-finding mission in the recent conflict between Lebanon and Israel. She was therefore able to give practical examples of basic problems arising in the context of a fact-finding mission, such as the legal classification of a conflict, the security of a mission, the handling of evidence, and dealing with witnesses.
Her comments were followed by an animated discussion on these issues.
