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(Transportation-News.com, October 01, 2018 ) More than 2,000 people visited the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Sunday, 23 September 2018, when it opened its headquarters for The Hague International Day (Open Day). With double the number of visitors compared to last year, the ICC thanks each and every visitor for including the Court on their agenda for this Open Day of The Hague's international organisations, while it commemorates the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the Rome Statute, its founding treaty. Highlights this year included Visitor Centre audio tours in English, French and Dutch; exhibition "Trauma, Healing and Hope" with photographs by photographer Marcus Bleasdale; a special one-day multimedia exhibit in Courtroom I; an area featuring jobs, internships and visiting professional positions; and activities for youth, including "Planet Justice" augmented reality games about the ICC. Visitors also had the possibility to exchange and engage in Q&A sessions with ICC representatives.
"In this 20th anniversary year of the Rome Statute, statements of strong commitment to the Court's mandate to end impunity for the gravest crimes have come from our States Parties as well as civil society. I am glad to see that the Court's work also generates a lot interest among the general public, as evidenced by the high turnout for our Open Day, giving us an opportunity to showcase the Court's work for individuals from different walks of life. The idea of justice is simple but the process can be complex, and we appreciate the public's interest in learning in detail how our institution functions", stated ICC Registrar Peter Lewis.
Women, men and children of different ages and nationalities, including Dutch nationals and members of the international community based in The Hague, had the opportunity to explore the Visitor Centre, which features stories from victims who have participated in ICC proceedings, and how being part of the justice process impacts their lives. Other features enabled visitors to learn more about the ICC legal process and how the Court works.
Visitors could also view a special one-day multimedia exhibit from Courtroom I's Public Gallery, through which they learned about the roles of ICC Judges, Prosecution, Defence, the Legal Representatives of Victims and witnesses testifying before the Court, and how victims and survivors are at the heart of the Court's operations. Questions from visitors focused on the various aspects of the Court's work, including its mandate, the support it needs from the States and possibilities to attend the ongoing trials.
This year the visitors had also the chance to explore the photo exhibit "Trauma, Healing and Hope" that features photographs by award-winning photographer Marcus Bleasdale, who has spent the past 20 years working with National Geographic, Human Rights Watch and others, documenting human rights abuses in many countries where the ICC investigates. The digital version of the exhibit is also available here.
The Hague International Day is organised on a yearly basis by the Municipality of The Hague – the Court's host city – and gives the public the opportunity to learn more about the functioning and aims of the various international institutions and non-governmental organisations based in the city. The Hague has been hosting the ICC since 2002. The city and its surrounding area are now home to over 160 international organisations.
The ICC is the first permanent, treaty-based, international criminal court established to help end impunity for the perpetrators of the most serious crimes of concern to the international community, namely war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and the crime of aggression.
The International Criminal Court (ICC)
Sonia Robla
281-645-4086
sonia.robla@icc-cpi.int
Source: EmailWire.Com 
Source: EmailWire.com
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