On April 27, 2001, more than twelve years after Pan Am flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland, the Syracuse University College of Law and the Office for Victims of Crime of the United States Department of Justice co-hosted a conference entitled "International Terrorism, Victims' Rights and the Lockerbie Criminal Trial" here at the College of Law.
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| Webcast of John Logue, accompanied by his PowerPoint presentation. Click for larger image. |
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The conference was unique in many ways. It was the first such event held at an American law school since the Lockerbie criminal trial verdict was announced on January 31 of this year. It was also videotaped and broadcast live on the internet, in real time. The screen was divided into three separate panels; the first showed the speaker only, the second showed the speaker's name and title, and the third showed their PowerPoint presentation. This enabled the viewer to view the speaker and the slides in greater detail.
Pan Am 103 family members who were unable to come to Syracuse for the conference were able to access the web-cast via the a password-protected web-site which the College of Law has operated for them since the fall of 1999, under a grant from the Department of Justice. Live viewers, those watching the web-cast, and students and faculty watching the conference from an overflow room in the College of Law were all able to submit questions to the panelists and keynote speaker.
According to the conference chair, Professor Donna E. Arzt, the purpose of the day-long event was to "assess the Lockerbie Criminal Trial in both the wider context of international cooperation, to prosecute terrorism, and the specific perspective of the rights of victims of international terrorism".
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Ann den Bieman speaks during the morning panel. Click for larger image. |
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The conference consisted of three separate panels, as well as a keynote address. The first panel, moderated by Andrew Greenberg, Associate Director of the Lockerbie Trial ~Families Project, was entitled "Victim Support: Lessons from the Lockerbie Trial Experience," and included presentations by the following:
* Kathryn Turman, Director, Office for Victims of Crime, U.S. Department of Justice, speaking about the services that her office has provided for the Pan Am 103 families;
* Tom McCulloch, Detective Chief Superintendent, Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary, describing his department's role in the investigation of the bombing and the policing of the facility at Camp Zeist in the Netherlands;
* Norman McFadyen, Regional Procurator Fiscal (Lothian and Borders), Scottish Crown Office, discussing the legal initiatives which were necessary to create the ad hoc Scottish Court in the Netherlands; and
* Ann den Bieman, Procurator Fiscal Depute, Scottish Crown Office, explaining how victim services in Scotland have been affected by the Lockerbie trial;
The second panel, "Highlights of the Lockerbie Trial: Participants and Observers Discuss Unique Features of the Trial," was moderated by Professor Donna Arzt, Director of the Lockerbie Trial ~ Families Project, and included:
* Norman McFadyen, Regional Procurator Fiscal (Lothian and Borders), Scottish Crown Office, describing the wide array of high tech developments that facilitated the Lockerbie criminal trial;
*John Logue, Principal Depute, Scottish Crown Office, speaking about the collection of forensic evidence in preparation for the trial; and
*Clare Connelly, Director, Lockerbie Trial Briefing Unit, University of Glasgow School of Law, discussing the impact of this trial's unique victim services within the context of Scottish law.
A solicitor for Defendant Lamen Fhimah, who was invited to participate on this panel, was unable to attend the conference.
After lunch, the keynote address, "The Broader Meaning of the Lockerbie Trial and the Future of International Counter-Terrorism," was presented by Michael P. Scharf, professor at the New England School of Law and a former U.S. State Department Counselor for the Counter-Terrorism Bureau, and was involved in the early stages of the investigation of the bombing of Pan Am 103.
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All of the conference speakers. Click for larger image. |
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The third and final panel, "What Next for the Lockerbie Victim Families," included a discussion led by family members Dorothy Coker, Jack Flynn, Bob Monetti, and Georgia Nucci.
After the conference ended, the live audience was invited to walk across campus to the Wall of Remembrance, dedicated in 1990 to the memory of the 35 Syracuse University undergraduates who died aboard Pan Am 103.
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The Wall of Remembrance at Syracuse University |
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Total in-person attendance for the conference was over 90. In addition, there were over 200 hits to the web-cast the day of the conference, which means that two-thirds of the family members were able to view the conference in "real time."
The webcast is archived on the family members' secure website, so they can view the conference whenever they like. The conference proceedings will also be published in the fall 2001 issue of the Syracuse Journal of International Law and Commerce.
The College of Law thanks everyone who was involved in making this conference such a successful venture, including:
* Kathryn Turman and Barbara Johnson of the Office for Victims of Crime;
* All of the speakers, including those who came all the way from Scotland to spend less than 48 hours in Syracuse;
* Melinda Lamont-Havers, formerly of RPI Inc., for transportation arrangements;
* Dr. Kamal Jabbour and the student crew of Trackmeets.com, who produced the webcast; and
* the many contributing staff members of the Syracuse University College of Law, particularly Applied Learning Center Coordinator Lisa MacDonald. |