Summary
The first Public Hearing of the Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC) started today at the Peace Palace in The Hague, the Netherlands, focusing primarily on the wildlife trafficking hub Nhi Khe in Viet Nam.
Opening statements were made by Olivia Swaak-Goldman, Executive Director of the WJC, and Director of Proceedings Ghida Fakhry, former news anchor for Al Jazeera. Swaak-Goldman explained that the aim of this first-ever Public Hearing was to demonstrate the massive scale of the illegal wildlife trade in Viet Nam and make a convincing case for urgent and decisive action to prosecute the criminal networks involved. Fakhrey emphasized that the aim of the event is not to put Viet Nam on trial, but to encourage the competent authorities to act. She said the Hearing would also provide an opportunity for the WJC Accountability Panel to consider the body of evidence prepared by the investigative teams and would seek to show the response of the Vietnamese authorities.
After hearing presentations from various perspectives, including the source region and youth, participants started their examination of the Map of Facts that includes a 5,000 page case file presenting evidence of the illegal wildlife trade in Nhi Khe over the past year. Marcus Asner, Member of the WJC Advisory Council, gave a brief overview of this evidence, noting that investigative visits since 2015 had directly observed animal parts and products amounting to more than US$53 million, representing at least 400 rhinos, 570 elephants and 158 tigers. He noted that the teams had also encountered a sprawling and “surprisingly open” market in the village of Nhi Khe.
Four investigators then presented different components of the Map of Facts. The presentations took the form of a “cross-examination” with Asner posing questions to the witnesses. The evidence included a vast amount of photographs and videos, investigator statements and broader analysis and internet research. Participants also heard expert testimonies on the identification of animals and animal parts and on the global context of illegal trade, and heard a presentation on the response and position of the Vietnamese government.
IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB+ Meeting Coverage, has provided digital coverage and a summary report from the WJC Public Hearing: Viet Nam Investigation, which is available in HTML and PDF.
Photos by IISD/ENB | Angeles Estrada Vigil
For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page
Public Hearing
Ghida Fakhry, former news anchor, Al Jazeera, and Director of Proceedings of the Public Hearing
Olivia Swaak-Goldman, Executive Director, WJC
Justice Philippe Kirsch, Canada, Former President of the International Criminal Court in The Hague; Diego García-Sayán, Peru, Former President of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights; Justice Isaac Lenaola, Kenya, Presiding Judge of the Constitution and Human Rights Division of the High Court, and Deputy Judge of the East Africa Court of Justice; Edgardo Buscaglia, Argentina/United States, Senior Scholar in Law and Economics at Columbia University, and President of the “Instituto de Acción Ciudadana para la Justicia y Democracia,” Mexico; and Misha Glenny, United Kingdom, award-winning journalist and historian
