TRIAL is an apolitical and non-confessional NGO, founded in June 2002. Its goal is to fight against impunity for genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, torture and enforced disappearances.
TRIAL aims at promoting international criminal justice and taking action on behalf of victims of such crimes before appropriate international instances.
Comprising lawyers, NGO leaders and victims, the association was founded in 2002, right at the moment when the Rome Statute establishing the International Criminal Court entered into force and four years after the arrest of General Pinochet in London, which had inspired the founders of the NGO.
In this sense, TRIAL:
To promote its objectives, namely, the fight against impunity of the most serious crimes (genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, torture and forced disappearances), advocacy for victims and public awareness, TRIAL implements a large number of projects and activities within the following areas:
Litigation
The Advocacy Center TRIAL
The Advocacy Center TRIAL (ACT) aims to combat impunity by filing complaints before international human rights bodies capable of examining complaints from individuals.
Criminal cases brought by TRIAL
Through it's program "Fight against impunity in Switzerland", TRIAL files complaints before Swiss courts against individuals present on Swiss territory suspected of international crimes.
Information to victims of armed conflicts
Informing the Public
Trial Watch
Trial Watch is an online database which offers the public easy access to numerous procedures concerning international crimes before national or international tribunals. It includes more than 650 profiles, each one of them containing a brief explanation of the facts, a summary of the legal procedure, as well as useful links to the documents, thus allowing everyone to further explore the files they wish to by accessing: decisions, reports of NGOs, bibliographies, and press articles.
TRIAL Journal
Nearly 1,000 copies of the TRIAL Journal, which is trilingual, are published three times a year.
International Justice Map
The International Justice Map is a monthly snapshot of the latest developments in the field of international criminal law at national and international tribunals, legislation, truth commissions and UN activities.
News
TRIAL operates a daily summary of news of international criminal law and the fight against impunity in the world. This summary is updated daily on the TRIAL website.
Public lectures, panel discussions and film screenings
The association organises many public conferences and panel discussions with a limited number of spaces available, which involve meeting a person working on a topic relevant to TRIAL, as well as screening of films covering topics related to international justice.
Actions on special occasions
TRIAL organizes regular activities during special days such as the International Justice Day on 17 July (when the Rome Treaty of the ICC was adopted) or the International Day of the Missing on 30 August.
'The fight against impunity under Swiss law' Manual
TRIAL has drafted a practical manual which explains how authors of international crimes can be prosecuted in Switzerland.
Lobbying
Swiss Coalition for the International Criminal Court (CSCPI)
TRIAL provides the secretariat and the coordination of the Swiss Coalition for the International Criminal Court (CSCPI) which regroups 11 Swiss NGOs. The Coalition is committed to a particularly efficient implementation of the Rome Statute in Swiss law.
Selective interventions before Swiss and international authorities
TRIAL monitors the Swiss legislative and diplomatic activity related to the matter of impunity of the most serious crimes and works regularly with Swiss and international authorities.
Politically exposed people
TRIAL closely follows the matter of kleptocrat s assets, taking a public stand for such funds to be confiscated within the legal framework and the human rights of the victim.
Research
Legal Tools for the International Criminal Court
The ICC Legal Tools is a comprehensive digital library dedicated to justice and international criminal law. The job consists of gathering, analysing and classifying the documents of 46 countries on national legislation and practice in relation to crimes within the jurisdiction of the ICC.
Video games project
The “Video Game” project, in collaboration with Pro Juventute, allows you to see how video and computer games are compatible with international humanitarian law, through legal analysis of problematic scenes in video games. Originally formulated by TRIAL, the idea of launching such a study obtained an encouragement award at the International Human Rights Forum in Lucerne in 2007.
