An outstanding Board of Directors’ Meeting at the AIDP

Ms. Christiane Taubira, Minister of Justice of the French Government, responded to the invitation by the International Association of Penal Law and attended the annual official dinner of the Association on the occasion of its Board of Directors’ meeting, which was held on June 12-13, 2015.

It was a first for the Board of Directors of the AIDP to welcome Minister of Justice Christiane Taubira on the occasion of the official dinner of the Association, which took place at the end of the meeting on Friday, June 12. President Vervaele welcomed her by recalling that the values of respect of human rights and individuation of sanctions that are dear to Ms. Taubira are shared by the International Association of Penal Law since its creation in 1924. He expressed his gratitude for the presence of the Minister, which illustrates the eminent role that the Association is playing among the scientific associations active in the area of criminal law.

President Bassiouni recalled the history of the Association throughout the XXth century and the memory of those leaders who shaped criminal law and international criminal law in this turbulent period, and who were all members of the International Association of Penal Law. He introduced the compilation work he undertook, entitled “International Association of Penal Law – A Historic Record 1889-2014”. This 500-page document gathers original documents on the foundation of the Association, as well as unpublished material, such as the minutes of the meeting that took place in the hall of the Nuremberg Trial, and the messages issued by Popes Pius XII, Paul VI, and Francis on the occasion of the congresses of the Association or the private audiences they granted to its representatives.

Ms. Taubira, who launched a major reform of the criminal law in France, explained with her known talent the principles that guided the drafting of the new law that entered into force in 2014, and defended a vision of criminal law that gives priority to the rehabilitation of convicted persons and individuation of criminal sanctions.

As every year since 1924, the Board of Directors of the International Association of Penal Law met at the French Supreme Court, the Cour de Cassation, to debate on the activities undertaken during the past year by the Association itself and by its national groups worldwide.

Representatives of national groups from various parts of the world were in attendance, in particular from: Albania, Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, China, France, Egypt, Germany, Iran, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, and the United States.

The Board decided that the topic of its next Congress will be “Corporate Business and Criminal Law”. It will take place in 2019, but the location is still to be decided. Italy and Austria have expressed interest in organizing it.

A new scientific strategy, as well as a new publication strategy, was adopted by the Board of Directors, which will be posted soon on the website.

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