Proceedings of the 17th International Congress of Criminal Law

Author: Chinese Branch of the International Society of Criminal Law / Research Center for Criminal Law Science of Renmin University of China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-05-01
Features: From September 12 to 19, 2004, the global conference of the International Society of Criminal Law—the 17th International Congress of Criminal Law—was held in Beijing. Nearly a thousand representatives from 68 countries and regions around the world engaged in extensive and in-depth exchanges and discussions on the theme "Challenges and Countermeasures of Criminal Crimes in the Globalization Era," reaching a series of important resolutions. This conference, due to its high level, large scale, broad agenda, and significant participation, became one of the most important events in the history of the International Society of Criminal Law. The 17th International Congress of Criminal Law was co-hosted by the International Society of Criminal Law and the Chinese Society of Law, with the Chinese Branch of the International Society of Criminal Law serving as the organizer. The successful holding of this conference was not only a model of long-term friendly cooperation between the Chinese legal community and the International Society of Criminal Law but also a new starting point for the Chinese criminal law community to open up to the world and actively reform and open up in the future. The International Society of Criminal Law is a non-governmental academic organization with a long history and broad influence in the field of international criminal science, and it holds consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. The International Society of Criminal Law has participated in the drafting of a series of important documents for the United Nations Conference on Crime Prevention and the Treatment of Offenders. The International Society of Criminal Law is composed of professors, experts, lawyers, and senior criminal justice officials from various disciplines in the field of criminal science research around the world. It currently has over 3,000 regular members from 99 countries, including 47 national branches. According to the statutes of the International Society of Criminal Law, each country may have only one group member as a national branch to participate in activities of the Society. Our cooperation and exchanges with the International Society of Criminal Law have a long history. As early as in 1984, the Ministry of Justice of China sent representatives to attend the 13th International Congress of Criminal Law held in Cairo. In 1987, I was invited to attend the special seminar on the death penalty held in Syracuse, Italy, where discussions were held with the leaders of the Society on the establishment of the Chinese Branch. Upon returning to China, efforts were immediately made to proceed with this matter. On April 7, 1988, with the approval of the State Council of China and with the strong support and assistance of the Chinese Society of Law, the Chinese Branch of the International Society of Criminal Law was officially established. The establishment of the Chinese Branch provided a good platform for the exchange and cooperation between the Chinese criminal law community and the International Society of Criminal Law, strengthening and making the collaboration more effective. We have actively and steadily developed members, with nearly 100 members to date; actively organized or sent representatives to attend the 14th, 15th, and 16th Congresses of the International Society of Criminal Law and various preparatory meetings; and conscientiously adhered to the statutes of the Society, fulfilling the obligations of the branch and its members. As our cooperation and exchanges with the International Society of Criminal Law deepened, the idea of hosting an International Congress of Criminal Law in China, gathering colleagues from around the world in Beijing, emerged. This idea was quickly approved by the Chinese Society of Law and submitted to the relevant government departments for approval. Subsequently, formal applications were submitted at the 1998 Paris Council Meeting and the 1999 Budapest Conference of the International Society of Criminal Law. In June 2000, at the Council and Executive Committee Meeting of the International Society of Criminal Law held in Paris, France, it was decided that the 17th International Congress of Criminal Law would be held in Beijing, China, and the theme and topics of the preparatory meetings were determined. The preparation of this conference was greatly supported by the International Society of Criminal Law and various relevant departments of the Chinese government. The Chinese Society of Law quickly established a preparatory committee chaired by President Han Zubin and began the preparations for the conference. President Oni of Brazil and Secretary-General Ep were invited to visit China to offer advice for the successful holding of the conference. The Chinese Society of Law mobilized all its departments to fully engage in the preparation. The Research Association of Criminal Law, the Research Association of Procedural Law, the Research Association of Criminology, the All-China Lawyers Association, and the Key Research Base at Renmin University of China—Research Center for Criminal Law Science—also made significant contributions. The conference was a great success. Chairman Wu Bangguo of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress delivered a congratulatory speech to the Standing Committee of the Congress. Nearly 500 guests from around the world and over 500 colleagues from China engaged in in-depth discussions on four themes and two roundtable sessions over the seven-day conference, ultimately adopting resolutions. During the conference, representatives visited courts, procuratorates, prisons, and other places to gain firsthand understanding of China's remarkable achievements in rule of law construction since the reform and opening-up; they also visited the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, and the Summer Palace, and, after the conference, toured Tibet and Xi'an, experiencing the ancient and profound Chinese culture. The anticipated goals proposed by President Han Zubin before the conference—"enhance understanding, expand consensus; enrich content, improve mechanisms; promote extensive exchanges, strengthen cooperation; respect each other, seek common ground while preserving differences"—were fully achieved. This conference was the first time the International Society of Criminal Law had held a congress in Asia in over 100 years, and it was also the first to be held in a developing country. To ensure that the outcomes of this conference continue to influence the future development of the International Society of Criminal Law and to further promote communication and exchange between the Chinese criminal law community and colleagues from around the world, under the of the Chinese Society of Law, the Chinese Branch of the International Society of Criminal Law and the Research Center for Criminal Law Science of Renmin University of China are responsible for editing and publishing the documents and materials of this conference. This serves not only as a testament to the openness and cooperation of the Chinese legal community but also as a witness to the long-term friendly cooperation between us and the International Society of Criminal Law, its significance far exceeding the conference and the collection itself.