LawPod

Queen's University - School of Law

LawPod is a weekly podcast based in the Law School at Queen’s University Belfast. We provide a platform to explore law and legal research in an engaging and scholarly way.

  1. 3 DAYS AGO

    Beyond Consent: Rape Law Reform in Academia and the Courtroom

    In this episode of LawPod, Dr Eithne Dowds, a senior lecturer in law at Queen’s University Belfast, is joined by Professor Julia Quilter from the University of Wollongong, Australia. They discuss Professor Quilter's research on rape law reform and intoxication evidence in rape trials and compare the legal landscapes in Northern Ireland and Australia. The conversation touches on historical and contemporary evolution of the laws, the impact of intoxication evidence, and the challenges of addressing rape myths within the courtroom. Dr Dowds and Professor Quilter explore the complex dynamics of legal reforms aiming to protect victims and improve the courtroom experience for complainants while ensuring a fair trial for defendants. Points of comparison between Northern Ireland and Australia highlight the ongoing struggle to bridge the gap between progressive legal reforms and real-world courtroom practice. The episode brings to light how these issues play out across different legal systems.

    45 min

  2. 4 DAYS AGO

    Episode 4 Raji Abdusalam On Turning Records Into Evidence

    In this episode, Dr Ulrike Lühe speaks with Raji Abdusalam, Chief Legal Data Archive Analyst at the Reckoning Project. In this conversation, Raji reveals how analysing thousands of testimonies uncovered the systematic genocide against Yazidi people—patterns invisible in individual cases. The conversation explores why "immutability" is sacred in digital evidence, how AI both accelerates and threatens documentation work, and a provocative question: with unlimited storage capacity, should we archive everything? "I always trust the archive that has a methodology," Raji argues. "But I don't trust the people who manage it." About: Raji Abdusalam is Chief Legal Data Archive Analyst at the Reckoning Project, with extensive experience documenting war crimes and crimes against humanity in Syria, Iraq, and Ukraine, including building legal cases under universal jurisdiction. More information: The Reckoning Project The 3-part series "Can the record be trusted?" explores the prospects and challenges of human rights documentation and archives in the digital age, with speakers from an international expert workshop that took place at Queens University Belfast in November 2024.

    31 min

  3. 31 OCT

    Episode 3: Robert Petit – Managing Evidence For Future Accountability In Syria

    The 3-part series “Can the record be trusted?” explores the prospects and challenges of human rights documentation and archives in the digital age, with speakers from an international expert workshop that took place at Queens University Belfast in November 2024.  In this episode, Dagmar Hovestädt speaks with Robert Petit, a long-term prosecutor of international crimes - from the Rwanda Tribunal to Cambodia, Sierra Leone, and East Timor – and current head of the UN-mandated International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM) dealing with crimes under International Law in Syria since March 2011. Only weeks after the recording of this conversation, the Assad regime fell, changing some aspects of the mechanism’s mandate but keeping its core untouched.   Created by the UN General Assembly in 2016 after repeated attempts to refer Syria to the ICC were vetoed, the IIIM has a unique mandate: to collect, consolidate, preserve, and analyze evidence of serious crimes under International Law committed in Syria since March 2011 – not for its own legal activities, but in the service of current and future legal accountability measures.  Robert explains how the IIIM uses criminal law standards, rigorous authentication protocols and complex information management systems to build a long-term repository. It sources its information from documents and data from civil society organizations and international bodies. The IIIM generates additional evidence through witness statements and the analysis of provided documentation, all of which is only accessible to competent jurisdictions. The material collected by the IIIM has already supported 210 distinct investigations across 16 jurisdictions.     About: Robert Petit is the head of the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM). He previously served as International Co-Prosecutor at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, Senior Trial Attorney at the Special Court for Sierra Leone, and began his international career at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in 1996.   More information: IIIM

    25 min

  4. 30 OCT

    Episode 2: Trudy Huskamp Peterson – The Challenge Of Preserving Transitional Archives

    The 3-part series “Can the record be trusted?” explores the prospects and challenges of human rights documentation and archives in the digital age, with speakers from an international expert workshop that took place at Queen's University Belfast in November 2024. In this episode, Dagmar Hovestädt speaks with Dr. Trudy Huskamp Peterson, international consultant on archives and human rights. With decades of experience—from the U.S. National Archives to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees—Trudy has worked with archives of truth commissions, international tribunals, and other conflict archives worldwide, including in Guatemala, South Africa, Honduras, Rwanda, Cambodia and Sierra Leone. The conversation revolves around Trudy’s groundbreaking work on preserving truth commission records and explores the unresolved challenge of international tribunal archives. With multiple tribunals closing, questions about who will make access decisions and ensure long-term preservation remain desperately unresolved. From her perspective, the current next generation of vast amounts of digital data in human rights violations - from electronic records to DNA samples in conflict contexts – is to be looked at through an archival lens: "Preservation is not a problem to be solved. It is a process to be managed." About: Dr. Trudy Huskamp Peterson is an international consultant specializing in archives and human rights. She began her work at the U.S. National Archives and after 20 years embarked on an international journey in support of human rights and records. She has consulted for truth commissions, international tribunals, and the UN on archival issues worldwide. She is a longtime member of the International Council on Archives and a co-founder of its Section on Archives and Human Rights More: Trudy Huskamp Peterson and International Council on Archives

    18 min

  5. 29 OCT

    Episode 1: Babacar Ndaye – Building Digital Archives at the UN

    The 3-part series “Can the record be trusted?” explores the prospects and challenges of human rights documentation and archives in the digital age, with speakers from an international expert workshop that took place at Queens University Belfast in November 2024. In this opening episode, Dr Julia Viebach speaks with Babacar Ndaye, former Senior Program Officer with the United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Daesh/ISIL in Iraq (UNITAD). The conversation explores the immense challenge of managing millions of digital files retrieved from ISIS-controlled territories—from battlefield evidence on hard drives and drones to administrative documents detailing the organization's operations. UNITAD partnered with Microsoft to deploy AI tools for processing this vast corpus of data, while maintaining forensic standards and chain of custody. Babcar reflects on critical questions about authentication, the role of civil society organizations as first responders, and the uncertain future of UNITAD's archive, now held in New York without a clear mandate for use. About: Babacar Ndaye has worked with the United Nations for over 11 years as an information systems specialist, including serving as Senior Program Officer with UNITAD in Baghdad from 2018-2024. More information: UNITAD https://lawpod.org/can-the-record-be-trusted/ Mentioned in this episode: Series Introduction

    21 min

  6. 4 JUL

    The Dutch Approach to Civilian Harm Accountability

    In the third episode of the mini-series on Civilian Harm in Conflict, host Mae Thompson is joined by Erin Bijl (PAX, Dutch NGO) and Major Steven van de Put (Royal Netherlands Air Force, former student) to explore the Dutch approach to accountability for civilian harm. This episode delves into the evolution of the Dutch accountability framework, spotlighting the 2015 Hawija airstrike in Iraq, which killed over 80 civilians during a Dutch-led bombing of an ISIS factory. The discussion examines the role of civil law in holding the Dutch state accountable, recent transparency and compensation measures by the Dutch Defense Ministry, and the effectiveness of community-level responses. By contrasting the Dutch model with the UK's slower progress, the episode offers insights into how states can improve accountability practices. Resources PAX Report: Community-Level Responses to Harm: Lessons Learned from Iraq Link: protectionofcivilians.org/report/community-level-responses-to-harm-lessons-learned-from-iraq/ Civilian Protection Monitor Link: https://civilianprotectionmonitor.org This podcast is the third in a series of episode on Civilian Harm in Conflict – hosted by Mae Thompson, advocacy officer at Ceasefire. The podcast is an output of the AHRC funded ‘Reparations during Armed Conflict‘ project with Queen’s University Belfast, University College London and Ceasefire, led by Professor Luke Moffett.

    41 min

  7. 30 JUN

    River Faughan: The Struggle for Legal Personhood

    In this special episode Katie O’Doherty delves into the illegal waste dumping scandal at the Mobuoy dump near the River Faughan in Northern Ireland, a scandal described by Agriculture Minister Andrew Muir as a "sophisticated and deliberate environmental crime of unprecedented scale”. It explores the background of this large scale environmental crime, discussing systemic failures and the roles of governmental agencies. Interviews with environmental activists James Orr from Friends of the Earth and Dean Blackwood from the River Faughan Anglers and The Environmental Gathering shed light on the significance of the recent sentencing of two company directors, the importance of the first “Victim Personal Statement” given by a river in Northern Ireland, and ongoing calls for a public inquiry. The discussion also touches on the broader implications for environmental governance, the need for recognising the rights of nature, and the systemic issues impacting environmental protection in post-conflict societies. Throughout the episode you will hear excerpts of the Victim Personal Statement on behalf of the river that was put to music by students from Lawpod – The statement was submitted as part of court proceedings prior to sentencing.  https://friendsoftheearth.uk/northern-ireland https://www.faughan.org https://www.ursulaburns.co.uk/post/13-riot-police-and-a-harp https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c365yn4d907o https://youtu.be/RMj8w7Zbls4 Thanks to Lawpod Students Katie O’Doherty Presenter and Narrator Eva Richards – Cello Alexandra Elizabeth Morar – Violin

    58 min

  8. 30 MAY

    Civilian Harm in Yemen

    In the second episode of the mini-series on Civilian Harm in Conflict, host Mae Thompson from Ceasefire, the Center for Civilian Rights, explores the issues of civillian harm and reparations for victims of military actions in Yemen. The discussion features insights from Bonyan Gamal, a lawyer based in Sana'a Yemen and Program Manager of the Yemeni Archive, Kristine Beckerle, Deputy Regional Director of Amnesty International for the Middle East and North Africa and co-investigator on the Reparations for Civilian Harm in Conflict project, and Professor Luke Moffett from Queen's University School of law. The guests explore the various harms experienced by Yemeni civilians, including psychological, economic, and direct physical impacts, and discuss the obstacles and potential solutions for obtaining reparations and accountability. The conversation emphasises the need for a victim-centered approach, improved state policies, and the importance of international support and acknowledgment to address the long-standing grievances and ensure non-repetition of violations. This podcast is the second in a series of episode on Civilian Harm in Conflict – hosted by Mae Thompson, advocacy officer at Ceasefire. The podcast is an output of the AHRC funded ‘Reparations during Armed Conflict‘ project with Queen’s University Belfast, University College London and Ceasefire, led by Professor Luke Moffett.

    41 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.7
out of 5
13 Ratings

About

LawPod is a weekly podcast based in the Law School at Queen’s University Belfast. We provide a platform to explore law and legal research in an engaging and scholarly way.

Information

  • Creator
    Queen's University - School of Law
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2025
  • Episodes
    227
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Queen's University - School of Law
  • Show Website
    LawPod

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