On September 26-27, 2023, Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University (TSU) hosted an international scientific conference - "The International Criminal Court - Current Challenges and Jurisprudential Perspectives". The conference was organized within the scientific project of the Volkswagen Foundation – “The Role of International Criminal Law in Georgia”, in collaboration with the Institute of Comparative and Transnational Criminal Law of the TSU Faculty of Law, the Constitutional Court of Georgia, the law faculties of the Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, the Philipps University Marburg and the Faculty of Sociology of Bielefeld University.

The conference is unique in the Caucasus and Europe region – as it was attended by five judges of the International Criminal Court from The Hague together with the Georgian and foreign professors. The following judges and professors were participated in the scientific conference: Judges of the International Criminal Court - Georgian judge Gocha Lordkipanidze, French judge Marc Perrin de Brichambaut, Canadian judge Kimberly Prost, British judge Joanna Korner, Italian judge Rosario Salvatore Aitala; Distinguished foreign and Georgian professors - Prof. Dr. Julia Geneuss from Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Prof. Dr. Annette Weinke from the Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Prof. Dr. Stefanie Bock from the Philipps University Marburg, Dr. Mayeul Hiéramente from Hamburg, Barrister Adetokunbo Hussain from London, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Giorgi Tumanishvili from TSU, Prof. Dr. Edward Schramm from the Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Prof. Dr. Boris Burghardt from the Philipps University Marburg and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Prof. Dr. Merab Turava, President of the Constitutional Court of Georgia from TSU and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Giorgi Dgebuadze from TSU.

The aim of the International Scientific Conference was to deepen the knowledge and increase interest in the international criminal law doctrine and justice, and in particular, practice of the International Criminal Court among society and especially among students and young researchers. In general, the role of international criminal law is crucial in Georgia and in the region, especially in the context of the 2008 Russia-Georgia war and the current events in Ukraine. Students, scientists, legal and international relations specialists were given the opportunity to discuss the issues of international criminal justice development and experience of Georgia, with the participants of the Rome Statute negotiations and the foreign and Georgian scientists.

The issues discussed at the conference included: the interplay of international law and international criminal law within the framework of the Rome Statute; material and mental elements of the war crimes and crimes against humanity; standards established by the International Criminal Court for these crimes; the principle of complementarity; individual accusation of a particular crime; fundamentals and mechanisms of criminal prosecution, detention.

The International Scientific Conference, within the scientific project of the Volkswagen Foundation, was organized by Prof. Dr. Edward Schramm from the Friedrich Schiller University of Jena; Prof. Dr. Boris Burghardt from the Philipps University Marburg and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin; and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Giorgi Dgebuadze from TSU.

Conference Program