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Professor Olympia Bekou

Professor of Public International Law and Head of School, Faculty of Social Sciences

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• workRoom C122 School of Law, Law and Social Sciences Building
  University Park
  Nottingham
  NG7 2RD
  UK
• work0115 84 66127
• olympia.bekou@nottingham.ac.uk

Biography

Professor Olympia Bekou is Professor of Public International Law and Head of the School of Law. She also heads the International Criminal Justice Unit of the University of Nottingham Human Rights Law Centre.

Olympia read law at the Democritus University of Thrace in Greece and in 2000 was admitted to the Greek Bar. She completed the LLM in International Law at the University of Cambridge and obtained her PhD in International Criminal Law from the University of Nottingham, for which she had been awarded a NATO Fellowship.

Olympia joined the School of Law in September 2002 and currently teaches International Criminal Law. Over the years, Olympia has been a fellow of the Max Planck Institute for Foreign and International Criminal Law in Freiburg, Germany, and she has also held visiting positions at the TC Beirne School of Law, the University of Queensland, Australia, the University of Nantes, France, and Istanbul Bilgi University, Turkey. She has presented her research in over 40 countries around the world and is a frequent speaker in expert meetings, workshops and conferences.

Olympia has provided research and capacity building support for 63 States, intensive training to more than 75 international government officials, drafting assistance to Samoa (with legislation enacted in November 2007), Fiji, and Jamaica, and has been involved in training the Thai Judiciary. In recent years, Olympia's work has focused on capacity building and has undertaken numerous field missions in post-conflict situations such as Colombia, the DRC, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Uganda.

Olympia is solely responsible for the National Implementing Legislation Database (NILD) of the International Criminal Court's Legal Tools Project. She is also Deputy Director of the Case Matrix Network and a member of the Advisory Board and Editor of the Forum for International Criminal and Humanitarian Law.

She also sits on the board of the Swiss-based NGO Civitas Maxima and the Liberian-based NGO Global Justice and Research Project with whom she has worked on the establishment of a War and Economic Crimes Court in Liberia.

In 2014, Olympia authored a single expert Study for the European Parliament, entitled: 'Mainstreaming Support for the ICC in the EU's Policies, European Parliament, EXPO/B/DROI/2013/28, March 2014', which she presented before its Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI). In 2020, she was tasked with authoring another Study for the European Parliament called: 'State of play of existing instruments for combating impunity for international crimes'.

Olympia has extensive experience in the management of large research grants. Between 2013-2016, she led the Nottingham component of a three-year EIDHR-funded project entitled: 'Enhancing the Rome Statute System of Justice: Supporting National Ownership of Criminal Justice Procedures through Technology-Driven Services', under which she created the Cooperation and Judicial Assistance Database (CJAD) and also worked in conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence in the DRC, ICC ratification efforts in Indonesia and issues of command responsibility in Colombia. Olympia's research has been funded by the EU, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the ESRC, and others.

In 2008, Olympia was the joint recipient of one of seven University of Nottingham Knowledge Transfer and Innovation Awards for a project entitled: 'Towards a successful partnership: the ICC Legal Tools and the European Union'.

In 2014, she was awarded the University of Nottingham Knowledge Exchange and Innovation Award for Societal Impact in Social Sciences for her work 'Fighting Impunity through Technology: Strengthening the Capacity of National and International Criminal Justice Institutions to Investigate and Prosecute the Most Serious International Crimes'. In 2015-2016 Olympia was recognised as an Impact Leader as part of ESRC's impact leaders programme.

Expertise Summary

Professor Olympia Bekou has over eighteen years of professional experience in national and international criminal justice. She has considerable experience in working with international criminal justice institutions, the European Union (including COJUR-ICC, EU Genocide Network, COHOM, DROI), States and civil society organisations. Olympia has recognised training, knowledge transfer, capacity building and bilateral assistance expertise, including in post-conflict situations (Colombia, the DRC, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Uganda) as well as legislative drafting experience (Samoa). Olympia has contributed to the work of the International Law Commission on the drafting of the Crimes Against Humanity Convention and to the multi-State negotiations of the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty.

Teaching Summary

International Criminal law, international humanitarian law, public international law

Research Summary

Research interests are in the fields of International Criminal Law and justice, in conflict and post-conflict capacity building, in conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence.

Selected Publications

• RASTAN, R. and BEKOU, O., 2012. Terrorism and counter-terrorist responses: the role of international criminal jurisdictions. In: SALINAS DE FRIAS, A., SAMUEL, K. and WHITE, N.D., eds., Counter-terrorism: international law and practice Oxford University Press. 873-907
• BEKOU, O, 2012. The Impact of International Prosecutions on Domestic Trials and Cooperation. In: MEDJOUBA, F, ed., Building Peace in Post-Conflict Situations British Institute of International and Comparative Law. 193-209
• BEKOU, O., 2011. Building Databases for the ICC legal Tools Project: Data Structures and the National Implementing Legislation Database. In: BERGSMO, M., ed., Active Complementarity: Legal Information Transfer in Criminal Justice for Atrocities Torkel Opsahl Academic EPublisher. 153-180
• BEKOU, O. and BERGSMO, M., 2011. The in-depth evidence analysis charts at the International Criminal Court. In: BERGSMO, M., ed., Active complementarity: legal information transfer Torkel Opsahl Academic EPublisher. 313-347

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Current PhD Students

• Jennifer Giblin
• Emma Sheffield
• Edoardo Gabriele Vacca

• BEKOU, O. and BIRKETT D., eds., 2016. Cooperation and the International Criminal Court: Perspectives from Theory and Practice Brill Nijhoff.
• BEKOU, O., BERGSMO, M. and KRUGER, P., 2016. Article 53, Initiation of an investigation. In: TRIFFTERER, O. and AMBOS, K., eds., Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court: Observers’ Notes, Article by Article 3rd. 1365-1380
• BEKOU, O., BERGSMO, M. and KRUGER, P., 2016. Article 54, Duties and powers of the Prosecutor with respect to investigations. In: TRIFFTERER, O. and AMBOS, K., eds., Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court: Observers’ Notes, Article by Article 3rd. Hart. 1381-1393
• BEKOU, O., 2016. Rule 11 bis: Exploring the Penal Aspects of Transferring Cases to National Courts by the ad hoc Tribunals. In: MULGEW, R. and ABELS, D., eds., Research Handbook on the International Penal System Edward Elgar Publishing. 211-228
• BEKOU, O., LOWE, W. E.M. and BIRKETT, D., 2016. Fostering Cooperation through Technology-Driven Tools. In: BEKOU, O. and BIRKETT, D., eds., Cooperation and the International Criminal Court: Perspectives from Theory and Practice 396-413
• BEKOU, O., 2015. International Criminal Justice and Security. In: FOOTER, M., SCHMIDT, J., WHITE, N.D. and DAVIES-BRIGHT, L., eds., Security and International Law Hart. 93-114
• BEKOU, O., 2015. The ICC and Capacity Building at the National Level. In: STAHN, C., ed., The Law and Practice of the International Criminal Court OUP. 1245-1258
• BEKOU, O., 2015. Doing Justice for the Liberian Victims of Mass Atrocity: NGOs in Aid of Universal Jurisdiction Journal of International Criminal Justice. 13, 219-222
• BEKOU, O., KATSIMARDOU MIARITI, K. and UTMELIDZE, I., 2015. Prioritising International Sex Crimes Cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Supporting the national justice system in the investigation and prosecution of core international crimes with a sexual element
• BEKOU, O. and ZIDAR, A., eds., 2014. Contemporary Challenges for the International Criminal Court British Institute of International and Comparative Law.
• BEKOU, O., 2014. Building National Capacity for the ICC: Prospects and Challenges. In: MARINIELLO, T., ed., The International Criminal Court in Search of its Purpose and Identity Routledge. 133-146
• BEKOU, O. and ZIDAR, A., 2014. The International Criminal Court at Ten: Contemporary Challenges. In: BEKOU, O. and ZIDAR, A., eds., Contemporary Challenges for the International Criminal Court British Institute of International and Comparative Law. 1-11
• BEKOU, O., 2014. National Approaches to the ICC Statute Crimes. In: BEKOU, O., ed., Contemporary Challenges for the International Criminal Court British Institute of International and Comparative Law. 11-34
• BEKOU, O., 2014. Mainstreaming Support for the ICC in the EU’s Policies: EXPO/B/DROI/2013/28
• BEKOU, O, 2012. The Impact of International Prosecutions on Domestic Trials and Cooperation. In: MEDJOUBA, F, ed., Building Peace in Post-Conflict Situations British Institute of International and Comparative Law. 193-209
• RASTAN, R. and BEKOU, O., 2012. Terrorism and counter-terrorist responses: the role of international criminal jurisdictions. In: SALINAS DE FRIAS, A., SAMUEL, K. and WHITE, N.D., eds., Counter-terrorism: international law and practice Oxford University Press. 873-907
• BEKOU, O., 2012. International Crimes at Crossroads; Incorporating the International Crimes at the National Level Journal of International Criminal Justice. 10, 677-691
• BEKOU, O., 2012. Special Mechanisms to Investigate and Prosecute International Sex Crimes: Pro and Contra Arguments. In: BERGSMO, M., ed., Thematic Prosecution of International Sex Crimes TOAEP. 233-250
• BEKOU, O., 2012. The Complementarity Principle: Oxford Bibliographies Online
• BEKOU, O., 2012. Crimes at Crossroads: Incorporating International Crimes at the National Level Journal of International Criminal Justice. 13, 677-691
• BEKOU, O., 2012. Best Practice Guide, Bridging the Gap: Ensuring the Lasting Legacy of the Sierra Leone Special Court and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission
• BEKOU, O., 2011. In the hands of the state: implementing legislation and complementarity. In: STAHN, C. and EL ZEIDY, M.M., eds., The International Criminal Court and complementarity: from theory to practice Cambridge University Press. 830-852
• BEKOU, O. and CHADWICK, M., 2011. The EU Commitment to International Criminal Justice: Achievements and Possibilities. In: WETZEL,J., ed., The EU as a ‘Global Player’ in Human Rights? Routledge.
• BERGSMO, M., BEKOU, O. and JONES, A., 2011. Complementarity and the Construction of National Ability. In: STAHN, C. and EL ZEIDY, M., eds., The International Criminal Court and Complementarity: From Theory to Practice Cambridge University Press. 1052-1070
• BEKOU, O., 2011. Building Databases for the ICC legal Tools Project: Data Structures and the National Implementing Legislation Database. In: BERGSMO, M., ed., Active Complementarity: Legal Information Transfer in Criminal Justice for Atrocities Torkel Opsahl Academic EPublisher. 153-180
• BEKOU, O. and BERGSMO, M., 2011. The in-depth evidence analysis charts at the International Criminal Court. In: BERGSMO, M., ed., Active complementarity: legal information transfer Torkel Opsahl Academic EPublisher. 313-347
• BERGSMO, M, BEKOU, O. and JONES, A., 2010. Complementarity After Kampala: Capacity Building and the ICC Legal Tools Goettingen Journal of International Law. 2, 791-811
• BEKOU, O., 2010. Rule 11 bis: an examination of the process of referrals to national courts in ICTY jurisprudence Fordham International Law Journal. 33(3), 723-791
• BERGSMO, M., BEKOU, O. and JONES, A., 2010. Preserving the Overview of Law and Facts: the Case Matrix. In: SMEULERS, A., ed., Collective Violence and International Criminal Justice Intersentia. 413-435.
• BEKOU, O, BERGSMO, M and JONES, A, 2010. New Technologies in Criminal Justice for Core International Crimes: The ICC Legal Tools Project Human Rights Law Review. 10(4), 715-729
• BEKOU, O., 2009. A case for review of Article 88 ICC Statute: strengthening a forgotten provision New Criminal Law Review. 12(3), 468-483
• BEKOU, O., HUNTER, E. and LOWE, W., 2008. Markup and Metadata in International Criminal Law: A Case Study Available at: <http://www.ncess.ac.uk/events/conference/programme/fri/3clowe.pdf>
• BEKOU, O., 2008. Prosecutor v Thomas Lubanga Dyilo - Decision on the Confirmation of Charges Human Rights Law Review. 8, 343-355
• BEKOU,O. and CRYER, R., 2007. The ICC and universal jurisdiction: A close encounter? International and Comparative Law Quarterly. 56(1), 49-68
• CRYER, R. and BEKOU, O., 2007. International crimes and ICC cooperation in England and Wales Journal of International Criminal Justice. 5(2), 441-459
• ANTONIADIS, A. and BEKOU, O., 2007. The EU and the International Criminal Court: An Uneasy Symbiosis in Interesting Times International Criminal Law Review. 7, 621-655
• BEKOU, O. and SHAH, S., 2006. Realising the potential of the International Criminal Court: the African experience Human Rights Law Review. 6(3), 499-544
• BEKOU, O., 2006. Regionalising ICC Implementing Legislation: A Viable Solution for the Asia-Pacific Region?. In: BOISTER, N. and COSTI, A., eds., Droit Pénal International dans le Pacifique: Tentatives d'Harmonisation Régionale/ Regionalising International Criminal Law in the Pacific Wellington: New Zealand Association for Comparative Law/ Association de Législation Comparée des Pays du Pacifique. 117-144
• BEKOU, O., 2006. Pre-trial Procedures before the International Criminal Court Available at: <http://www.isrcl.org/>
• BEKOU, O., 2005. Complementarity and the ICC: a dangerous gamble. In: EUROPEAN INTER-UNIVERSITY CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRATISATION, ed., The International Criminal Court: challenges and prospects: proceedings of an international conference organised by the European Inter-University Centre for Human Rights and Democratisation (EIUC) Venice: Marsilio. 61-81
• CRYER, R. and BEKOU, O., eds., 2005. The International Criminal Court Ashgate Publishing Group, Aldershot & London.
• BEKOU, OLYMPIA and CRYER, ROBERT, 2004. The International Criminal Court / edited by Olympia Bekou and Robert Cryer Aldershot : Ashgate/Dartmouth, c2004.
• BEKOU, O., 2002. Complementarity and the ICC: A dangerous gamble? In: The International Criminal Court: Challenges and Prospects.
• BEKOU, O., 2002. Aspects of the Inter-relationship between International Criminal Law and Domestic Jurisdictions In: Wissenschaftliches Kolloquium series.
• BEKOU, O., 2001. Globalisation in the Prosecution of International Crimes: from National Courts to International In: Human Rights in a Global World.
• BEKOU, O., 2001. The Complementarity Regime of the ICC
• BEKOU, O., 2001. The Inter-relationship between International Criminal Law and Domestic Jurisdictions Human Rights Law Review Student Supplement. 5(1), 3-8
• BEKOU, O., 2000. The Inter-relationship between International Criminal Law and Domestic Jurisdiction In: Human Rights and Armed Conflict, Human Rights Law Centre Student Conference.
• BEKOU, O., 2000. The Principle of Complementarity: A Response to the Pakistani Position Asian Network for the International Criminal Court Bulletin.
• BEKOU, O., 2000. Women in Peace: The Policy of Reapproachment between Greece and Turkey: Working towards good Neighbourliness? In: Presentation given in the course of the WINPEACE Summer Course.
• BEKOU, O., From 'Confrontation' to 'Two-way Cooperation': Referrals of Cases from the ICTY to National Courts through Rule 11bis Serbian Yearbook of International Law.
• BEKOU, O., Implementing The ICC Crimes in Africa. In: ABASS, A., BANTEKAS, I., JALLOH, C., ed., The International Criminal Court and Africa OUP. (In Press.)
• BEKOU, O., Applying Selection and Prioritisation Criteria to Sex Crimes Cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In: BERGSMO, M., ed., Criteria for Prioritizing and Selecting Core International Crimes Cases Torkel Opsahl Academic EPublisher. (In Press.)
• BEKOU, O., Domestic Implementation of the Rome Statute: International Perspectives on Best Practices. In: NWANKWO, O. and MONEKE, F., eds., Domestic Implementation of the Rome Statute of the ICC in Nigeria and Fight Against Impunity in Africa Nigerian Coalition for the International Criminal Court. (In Press.)

• Anna La Chimia