Episode 69 – International Humanitarian Law with Alphons Orie

Alfons Orie chats to Janet

How effectively have international tribunals incorporated the principles of international humanitarian law? Alphons Orie gives tells us how principles have been “summarily introduced” and why a dialogue between the parties is needed. 

Live at the HOR congress (Humanitair Oorlogsrecht – humanitarian law) organised by the Red Cross, Alphons talks about public expectations and victims’ hopes. Currently working as a judge in the United Nations International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (the Mechanism), he was a member of the Tadić defence team before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, the first case at the ICTY. Orie tells Janet about public expectations and victims’ hopes and compares the attitudes of the ICTY and the International Criminal Court (ICC). 

As the audience’s questions focused on some rather timely debates, we also discuss Ukraine and the future of Ecocide, and the shift Alphons sees “from international courts and tribunal to national courts”. 

Alphons Orie is all about the Messiah by Georg Friedrich Händel – read the book, watch the performance. More suggestions came in from the audience, the latest book by Herman Koch, Het koninklijk huis, and Fleur Ravensbergen’s Disarmed: My life as a peace negotiator in armed conflicts, from IRA to IS, to get more insights into conflict mediation. And if you want to watch TV, one audience member recommeded the Ted Lasso series.