The French Embassy in Malta, the Department of International Law at the University of Malta, the International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law (IIJ), and the Foundation for the Ukrainian Community of Malta are inviting international lawyer Clara Gérard-Rodriguez to Malta for an insightful and informative public lecture on October 16 at 6.30pm.

Gérard-Rodriguez will present the basic principles of international criminal law and explain how it works in practice, with specific reference to Ukraine. In particular, she will present her experience of working with the Ukrainian prosecutor general for several months, assisting his team in opening investigations, establishing the facts, and identifying responsibility for war crimes committed by Russia on Ukrainian territory.

Gérard-Rodriguez served as legal officer at the International Criminal Court. After graduating top of her class from the Paris Bar, she practised as a lawyer in a number of terrorism and financial crime cases, and spent several months in the field in Ukraine after Russia’s invasion. Her expertise and clarity of analysis are sought after by the French media, particularly since international criminal justice has been back in the headlines.

The public lecture will be delivered at the Aula Prima (second floor), University of Malta Valletta Campus. It will be in English but a written translation into Ukrainian will be available for Ukrainian speakers.

The lecture will be followed by a Q&A session. Admission is free but registration is required via https://form.jotform.com/franceinmalta/investigating-war-crimes-in-ukraine.

The initiative forms part of the second edition of ‘Legal day’ taking place across the French diplomatic network in October on all the continents with the objective to promote law and its values. It also forms part of a series of events marking the 10th anniversary of the IIJ’s establishment in Malta.