HANDBOOK LAUNCH CEREMONY

Maputo, 4 to 8 March 2024. 

Venue: Polana Serena hotel

As stated in the programme (attached), the training started with an open session where the Prosecutor of the UN’s International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, Serge Brammertz, and the Director of the Rule of Law Programme for Anglophone Sub-Saharan Africa of the KAS Foundation, Stefanie Rothenberger, explained the importance of the exercise. Serge Brammertz highlighted his experience on the field and the idea that it should help the prosecutors to investigate and prosecute sexual violence crimes in armed conflicts, such as the one they have currently in Mozambique.

Stefanie Rothenberger described the KAS Foundation, and both thanked the Adélia Foundation for the partnership.

Fátima Adélia Martins, Chairperson of the Adélia Foundation, described her role in this initiative in a triple capacity:

1 - As the Chairperson of Adélia, she presented the Foundation and the link with the training and the handbook and thus the translation of the handbook into Portuguese.

2 - As a Senior Prosecutor, she had a large international career, starting by founding – together with Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz – an EU institution called European Judicial Network (EJN) and later becoming its Secretary-General. Moreover, she co-founded other judicial networks around the world, such as the Network of Ibero-American Countries (IberRede), the Commonwealth Network of Contact Persons and the Network of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP Judicial Network), creating also the Global Networking.

3 - Finally, as a Portuguese-speaking person, she underlined the importance of having the book translated into Portuguese, especially since it is a handbook with technical language for use by prosecutors in the courts. So, on behalf of the Foundation, it was with enthusiasm that she provided the translation of the handbook.

The two following days were dedicated to the training by discussing a case study based on real cases specifically from the ICTY – International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and the ICTR – International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. 

The interaction between the trainers (Prosecutors of the Chief Prosecutor’s Office) and the 24 Prosecutors was evident and the training was considered by the Mozambican authorities to be very useful, taking into consideration the armed conflict the country is experiencing in the Province of Cabo Delgado.

The participants were selected by the Prosecutor-General’s Office due to being practitioners.

On the 7th of March, the handbook “Manual Sobre o Exercício da Ação Penal em Matéria de Violência Sexual em Conflitos Armados” was launched in a solemn ceremony with the participation of the Under-Prosecutor-General, who highlighted the importance of the cooperation with the Office of the Prosecutor of the Mechanism in arresting a fugitive of the Rwanda Genocide. She also expressed her gratitude to the Adélia Foundation. Several ambassadors were also present, namely the ambassador of Germany. 

Again, there was a speech by Chief Prosecutor and Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations Serge Brammertz, who took the floor to clarify the nature and importance of the handbook and to thank the Republic of Mozambique for its commitment to arresting the fugitive. Stefanie Rothenberger, of the KAS Foundation, also spoke about the handbook and the session was closed with the conclusions and remarks of Fátima Adélia, from the Adélia Foundation.

The mission ended with an official visit to the Prosecutor-General’s Office by Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz and the Adélia Foundation Chairperson, Fátima Adélia.