As part of KCIL’s activities under the Justice Resilience Initiative for KRI lawyers, aimed at introducing them to the dimensions of international criminal law and fostering a communal environment for its domestication within the national judicial system, a two-day workshop was organized on November 8–9, 2024, for 20 lawyers (9 female and 11 male) in Erbil Province. At the onset of the first day, Dr. Shiraz Ibrahim captured the participants’ attention during two lectures on issues related to international criminal law and the stages of appeal for these crimes within the International Criminal Court and special tribunals. This was followed by a session on the investigation phases of international crimes, delivered by Dr. Mohammed Rashid. The topic was enriched by highlighting several relevant cases from the International Criminal Court and linking them to ISIS’s heinous crimes in Iraq.
Early on the second day, the participants were introduced to the cooperation initiated by KCIL in preparing the anti-discrimination bill, with an explanation of the rationale behind its preparation provided by Dr. Sarkawt Jalil. During an open discussion, participants were given the opportunity to formulate their comments and suggestions on the bill and analyse potential developments during its future implementation, should it be passed by the Kurdistan Parliament. The final lecture of the second day was delivered by Judge Taha Omar on the fair trial Manual which has been developed by the KCIL and compassed domestic and international principles of fair trial. The purpose of this session was to inspire participants to work thoroughly toward reinforcing these principles, which are outlined as essential prerequisites for establishing justice and upholding the rule of law within the KRI courts.