The Chautauqua Declaration

Yesterday, past and present international prosecutors held a roundtable discussion on The Laws of War: Past, Present, and Future at the Chautauqua Institution in Jamestown, NY [flyer, in English]. In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the 1907 Hague Rules, participants signed a declaration [text, in English] stressing the importance of ending impunity and of fostering the rule of law. A press release for this memorable event can be found here [pdf, in English].

The quintessence of the meeting is probably best expressed with the words of Sir Desmond Lorenz de Silva, former Prosecutor of the Special Court for Sierra Leone:

Let word go out to warlords and leaders all over the world. However powerful, however mighty, however feared you may be, the law is above you.