Justice Matters

Wednesday, March 23, 2016 - The Hague, Netherlands

Another early morning. Is this actually a vacation? By 8:45am we were on our way to Centraal Station in a taxi arranged by our Airbnb hosts. We had plenty of time to grab some sandwiches and stand around before boarding our 9:27am departure on our one hour trip to The Hague. This was a quick 45 minute ride through Dutch towns, with the random iconic windmill and tulip fields dotting the countryside. By 10:55am we were in the lobby of the Hilton. It was a little early to check-in, but we needed to freshen up before our 1:30pm briefing at the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Pro Tip - Having status with a hotel chain can be the difference between “ooh, sorry no room available, but you can use the lobby bathroom,” and “ oh, you're early. Please feel free to have some refreshments in the executive lounge while we prepare a room for you.”

After a brief stint in the executive lounge, where we took the photos below from the balcony, we were invited to our freshly prepared room. 

After spending a few days in a Dutch pied-à-terre, staying in a Hilton seemed oddly familiar and stress-free. It’s hard to articulate, but it was comforting to walk in and find a standard American washcloth and toiletries in English. Getting up early had taken its toll, and we lounged as hard as one can with only 1.5 hours until their next appointment. Filled with excitement and curiosity, we could barely wait for our taxi to arrive to take us to the ICC. It was a highlight of the trip for me. Other lawyers in the office were eager to hear about the experience.  In fact, Darin and I were so ready to get going, we tried to commandeer a taxi that had been called for someone else. It turns out that sometimes language differences are a barrier.

The Hague is the seat of the Dutch parliament.  The city is also home to the U.N.’s International Court of Justice, headquartered in the Peace Palace, and the International Criminal Court. There are currently approximately 107 embassies in the Hague and we pointed several out to each other as the cab weaved through the streets toward the ICC. We tried to figure out the embassy country by the flag and the building design.

The International Criminal Court is a place where serious, solemn business is conducted. You can tell from the moment you set foot on the grounds of the new and permanent home of the Court. Set back from the street on top of rolling dunes, there is a long driveway depositing you at the security checkpoint. After you are checked against a pre-approved list (no walk-ins allowed), you are issued a plastic visitor pass and go through airport style security. I wanted to keep the visitor pass as a souvenir to show lawyer friends (show off?) but it was confiscated upon exit.

The security building is separated from the open and airy all glass facade of the main building by a long walkway, where a receptionist is waiting, like a traffic cop, to direct you to your next waypoint. In our case, we were early for our briefing and encouraged to walk through the temporary visitor exhibit. About 1:45pm grouped with other visitors, and law and policy university students, our briefing began.

The International Criminal Court (ICC), governed by the Rome Statute, is the first permanent, treaty based, international criminal court established to help end bring to justice the perpetrators of the most serious crimes of concern to the international community, namely genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. The ICC is an independent international organization, and is not part of the United Nations system. The ICC is based on a treaty, joined by 124 countries (effective as of 1 June). While supportive, the United States is not a member.

It seemed the perfect time to visit the ICC during a time the world community has been held hostage by unspeakable terrorist attacks. There lies solace in the fact that an international organization exists with its sole mission to bring to justice persons involved in brutal crimes against humanity. Placards posted throughout the visitor center described ongoing investigations, trials and successful victim rescues. The members of court were pictured in full regalia and their bios were impressive! This was a picture of true diversity with judges of all races, colors and creeds, from all over the world.

Our briefing lasted as long as the group had questions. We were shown a PowerPoint describing the ICC mission, how it works and what it has accomplished. There were numerous questions from the students in the group and the overriding question was - does the ICC feel it is successful? Since brutal dictators and atrocities still occur around the world - why can’t the ICC stop it from happening. The docent was patient, experienced and obviously familiar with this line of questioning.

Once the group dispersed we were free to view the courtroom where all the action happens. On this day the court was not in session and while a disappointment, it means that a return visit is in order. Interesting and well worth the visit. I left with the feeling that the rule of law will emerge the winner.

We returned to the hotel via a taxi procured by the ICC receptionist. One of Darin’s friends from AFS recently moved with her husband from LA to a suburb of The Hague, and we arranged to have dinner at 7pm with them and their houseguests who were visiting from Germany. To be frank, we were exhausted! But how often are you 5,575 miles from home yet only 20 minutes away from a friend. Another brief respite and we were on our way to dinner. Conveniently the restaurant which had been selected was about a 4 minute walk on the same street from the hotel. The Hilton insignia could be seen outside the front door of the restaurant. At least it would be a short commute to our beds!

Dinner was a wonderful affair and we felt re-energized. Dutch, English and German all mixing together to create an intimacy and cohesion that can only come from the right space, good food, and engaging people. Three, yes, 3 hours later we barely made it to our beds, and this interesting day and enchanting evening was over. Good thing because tomorrow we were off to Germany.