Call for Papers: National Security and Criminal Justice

The School of Law at Ono Academic College has issued a call for papers for the Sixth Annual Joint Conference of Ono Academic College and Columbia University, June 5-6, 2012, in Kiryat Ono, Israel. Here's the call:

The Sixth Annual Joint Conference of Ono Academic College and Columbia University, June 5-6, 2012

National Security and Criminal Justice

The School of Law at Ono Academic College invites submissions for the Sixth Annual Joint Conference of Ono Academic College and Columbia University, which will take place on June 5-6, 2012, in Kiryat Ono, Israel.

This year's conference will examine questions at the intersection of national security and criminal justice, through comparative and international perspectives. In particular, we would like to examine the following topics:

Special Courts and Tribunals:

Special "national security" courts were always in existence, and still exist today in many countries. The goal of the conference in this context is to provide a comparative overview of such special tribunals in western democracies. What current justifications are brought for establishing and using such courts? How are such courts comprised? What is the nature of the criminal procedure in these courts? How are the defendants' due process rights ensured? What is the quality of the legal representation afforded to defendants, and how much does international law come into play in the decisions of these courts?

Special Rules and Procedures Applied in Regular Courts:

In some instances, suspected terrorists and defendants tried for national security offences are tried in regular state courts. The conference will explore, with regard to these instances, the special rules and procedures applied in such instances, including any procedural and substantive differences between national security cases and "regular" criminal cases, the special challenges faced by attorneys representing such defendants and the implications of classifying offences as security offences.

The Role of International Law:

In an era of global terrorism, international cooperation in fighting terrorism is viewed as inevitable, and international law has been enlisted to facilitate cooperation and thus strengthen states' national security. International criminal law, on the other hand, is viewed by some as preventing state officials from employing measures used in the past due to fears of being subject to future prosecution. The conference would like to explore the interrelationship between national security and international law and to examine the ways international law can be employed to strengthen national security as well as the ways in which it limits states' actions in fighting security threats.

Candidates interested in participating in the conference are invited to submit abstracts of up to 500 words, along with a brief cv, to Tamar Hostovsky Brandes (tamar_brandes[at]ono.ac.il) by February 30, 2012. Participants will be responsible for their own travel and accommodation expenses.