The International Criminal Bar (ICB) was founded on June 15th, 2002 at the Conference of Montreal, Canada. Its first General Assembly took place on the 21st and 22nd of March, 2003 in Berlin, Germany, with over 400 participants from over 50 countries.
Currently, the ICB is chaired by Mr. Dragos Chilea, and it brings together national and regional bar associations and the most important international bar associations, as well as lawyers deeply committed to promote international criminal justice.
The ICB is also enriched with the knowledge and experience of non-government organizations from 48 countries. The key objective of ICB and its members is to represent the legal profession at three levels:
- promoting the development of an independent legal profession and practice before the International Criminal Court;
- developing a criminal policy and promoting the core principles of justice;
- providing assistance to the lawyers who defend victims and defendants before the International Criminal Court, as well as facilitating an effective communication between the bodies of the Court and the lawyers.
The ICB’s geographical representation, which brings together people from different legal systems, is increasing with each new membership.
To become an ICB member means to be a part of an international legal community, representing your country within the international forum, increasing our visibility in the ICC, and to have access to an international professional network.
Moreover, by virtue of its knowledge and experience, ICB aims to assist its members in the administrative maze in which sometimes the international criminal justice system can become.
In order to ensure that lawyers’ specializing in this matter (international criminal justice) can receive special training to practice before the International Criminal Court, the ICB organizes training programs with free on-line courses, on specific and useful topics.
Both, courses and seminars have a common element: universal justice, and in particular, international criminal justice.
The ICB also arranges languages courses (English and French) for lawyers, taking into account that these are the official languages of the ICC.
For victims of human rights violations (genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, the crime of aggression), the ICB organizes seminars and conferences too.
We must highlight the fact that these training courses, seminars and conferences are free of charge, facilitating the access of participants to these programs.