High-level experts exchanging experiences on to the collection and use of evidence related to terrorism cases.
On 9-10 April 2018 in New York, the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) hosted a high-level expert meeting titled “Bringing terrorists to justice before national courts: developing guidelines to facilitate the collection of information and evidence by military and other relevant criminal justice actors within a rule-of-law framework.” Part of a joint CTED and UNODC project within the framework of the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force (CTITF) Working Group on Criminal Justice and Legal Responses to Terrorism, the meeting gathered over 40 international experts to discuss challenges and good practices in the area. The outcome of the proceedings will feed into the possible development of United Nations guidelines on the matter.
Primary target audiences for these guidelines would include prosecutors, military actors, police officers, and prison officials, and would focus on the role of military actors in the collection, sharing, and use of evidence in high-risk situations, including conflict and post-conflict settings, for the purpose of the prosecution of terrorist suspects before national courts, and on the role of military actors in the arrest, detention, and surrender of terrorist suspects.
The next phase of the project will be led by UNODC and will concentrate on policy and capacity development to give practical effect to the UN guidelines at the national and regional levels.
Photos from the meeting can be found here