Prof. Acharya addresses Beirut conference

Evaluates Actions of International Court of Justice

Professor Acharya (second from left) addresses the conference. Other speakers are Professor Mme. Marie Ghantous of the Universités Saint Joseph et Notre Dame-Liban (left), S.E.M. Jan Cizek, Ambassador of Czech Republic to Lebanon (second right), and Professor M. Jean-Marie Crouzatier of the Université Toulouse 1 Capitole-France (right).

Gonzaga Professor Upendra D. Acharya recently represented Gonzaga Law at an international conference on international justice and international peace and security.

The conference, which was held Dec. 8-9, 2010, in Beirut, Lebanon, was sponsored by Beirut’s Antonine University.

Acharya titled his presentation, “ICJ’s (International Court of Justice) Advisory Opinion on Kosovo: Is It A Cogent Legal Analysis or A Judicial Endorsement of Political Might?” In it, he addressed matters of international law arising from the disputed status of the self-declared state of Kosovo.

Kosovo claimed its independence from Serbia following the Kosovo War and the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia.

In July, 2010, the ICJ determined that Kosovo’s declaration of independence did not violate international law.

In his paper, Prof. Acharya questioned whether the ICJ’s advisory opinion considered applicable international laws and their ramifications, including the right to self-determination, the law of territorial integrity, the law of statehood, the law of remedial secession, and legal impact of recognitions of Kosovo by other countries.

The conference covered the roles of the International Court of Justice, International Criminal Court, ad hoc international criminal tribunals, special international hybrid courts (Sierra Leone Special Court and Special Tribunal for Lebanon) in maintaining international peace and security.

Among other countries, conference speakers represented the United States, Canada, Belgium, France, and Lebanon. Also taking part were the Justice Minister and Social Affairs Minister of Lebanon, a French Senator, and ambassadors representing France, Great Britain, the Czech Republic, Belgium, and Canada.

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