THE PINOCHET PRECEDENT:
Individual Accountability for International Crimes

Monday, March 26, 2001
8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

American University Washington College of Law
4801 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Rm. 603, Washington, DC

Sponsored by American University Washington College of Law and the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS)

(Links lead to transcripts in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format. You can download a free reader from Adobe here. Other transcripts will be added to this page as they become available.)

Welcome

Claudio Grossman, Dean, American University Washington College of Law
John Cavanagh, Director, Institute for Policy Studies

Panel 1 - The Pinchet Case: Origins and Impacts

Analysis of the Successes and Limitations of the Spanish Case Against Pinochet
Joan Garcés, attorney who led the case against Pinochet in Spain

Extradition Proceedings Against Pinochet in London
Richard Wilson, American University Washington College of Law

The Impact of the Letelier-Moffitt Case
Samuel Buffone, Ropes and Gray, U.S. lawyer for Letelier-Moffitt families

Impact of the Pinochet Case in Chile (in Spanish)
Mireya García, Chilean Association of Families of the Disappeared

Truth, Accountability and the Dynamics of Change in Chile
Naomi Roht-Arriaza, Hastings College of Law

Moderator - Stacie Jonas, Institute for Policy Studies

Panel 2 - Lessons from Other Universal Jurisdiction Cases

Overview of the Development of Universal Jurisdiction Cases Around the World
Reed Brody, Human Rights Watch

The Development of the Habré Case in Senegal
Pascal Kambale, legal advisor for Senegalese case against Hissène Habré, former dictator of Chad

The Development of Argentine and Guatemalan Cases in Spain
Carlos Slepoy, lawyer for Spanish cases against Argentine and Guatemalan officials

Approaches to Universal Jurisdiction in France
Sophie Thonon, lawyer for French cases against Argentine and Chilean officials

Brazilian Efforts to Prosecute Alfredo Stroessner and Investigate Operation Condor
Rep. Marcos Rolim, Brazilian Congressional Committee on Human Rights

Proceedings in Italy against Latin American dictators and military personnel of the 1970s and 1980s
Giancarlo Capaldo, Prosecutor overseeing Italian investigation of Operation Condor

Moderator - Claudio Grossman, American University Washington College of Law

Panel 3 - U.S. Accountability Mechanisms: Challenges and Advances

Overview of Available U.S. Accountability Mechanisms: Challenges and Advances
Shawn Roberts, formerly of Center for Justice and Accountability

Extradition and Prosecution of International Criminals in the U.S.
José Miguel Vivanco, Americas Watch, Human Rights Watch

Possibilities for Prosecuting Abuses of Economic and Social Rights
Peter Weiss, Center for Constitutional Rights

Possibilities for Prosecuting U.S. Officials for Human Rights Crimes
Michael Tigar, American University Washington College of Law

Moderator - Robert Goldman, American University Washington College of Law

Panel 4 - Role of International Criminal Court and Ad-Hoc Tribunals

Impact of ICC Ratification on Domestic Universal Jurisdiction Laws
Christopher Hall, Amnesty International

Role of ICTY in the Development of International Law and Institutions
David Tolbert, ABA Central Eastern European Law Initiative

Relationship Between International Tribunals and National Prosecutions
Diane Orentlicher, Princeton University (on leave from American University Washington College of Law)

Moderator - Bruce Broomhall, Lawyers Committee for Human Rights

Wrap Up

Marcus Raskin, Distinguished Fellow, Institute for Policy Studies

Conference Organizers

The Institute for Policy Studies, a progressive think tank established in 1963, has been a leading voice in the struggle to bring former Chilean General Augusto Pinochet to justice since it lost two of its colleagues at the hands of agents of the Pinochet regime. Orlando Letelier and Ronni Moffitt were killed in a car bombing that occurred at Sheridan Circle in Washington, D.C. as they drove to work at IPS on September 21, 1976. Letelier had been the ambassador to the United States and the Defense Minister under Salvador Allende. Moffitt was a 25-year old U.S. citizen who was working at IPS as a development assistant. The "Bring Pinochet to Justice Campaign" is committed to mobilizing U.S. support for justice for Letelier, Moffitt, and all other victims of the Pinochet regime, as well as raising awareness about the lessons of the Pinochet case. For more information or to subscribe to the IPS newsletter "Pinochet Watch," contact Stacie Jonas at s-jonas@mindspring.com. For more information on other IPS projects, please visit www.ips-dc.org.

The Washington College of Law prides itself on excellent teaching, path-breaking scholarship, and meaningful service to the legal profession and the world community. In its curriculum, pedagogy, and programs, WCL promotes intellectual pluralism, mutual respect, inculcation of the highest standards of legal professionalism, and the conscious interaction of theory, doctrine and practice in the education of students. In 1990, WCL, in furtherance of its long-standing commitment to human rights, established the Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law. The Center integrates the talents of the law school's faculty, students, and research support to create innovative programs that strengthen the respect for and advance the application of the interrelated fields of human rights and humanitarian law. Current projects of the Center include: the Human Rights Brief, the Israeli Civil Rights Fellowship Program and the Central and Eastern European Fellowship Program; the Inter-American Human Rights Digest Project; the Human Rights Academic Network; the Inter-American Human Rights Moot Court Competition and the War Crimes Research Office.

Special Thanks

The conference organizers would like to thank the Arca Foundation, the Samuel Rubin Foundation, and Jeffrey Levy-Hinte for their generous contributions that helped make this conference possible.

We would also like to thank Nancy Rocha and Isabel Mangan for providing oral interpretation of the conference proceedings.