TRIAL and Geneva Call praised by City of Geneva

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Geneva City Hall will pay homage to TRIAL and Geneva Call on Thursday 26 March 2015. The city’s Mayor has awarded the two Geneva-based NGOs the “Genève reconnaissante” (Grateful Geneva) medal. Mr Sami Kanaan applauded “the fundamental role of these civil society actors in today’s world”. He also highlighted the “outstanding work” carried out by TRIAL to place the law at the service of victims of the most serious crimes. TRIAL is proud and happy to receive this accolade, which acknowledges its tireless fight against impunity.

Since 1932, the City of Geneva has awarded the “Genève reconnaissante” medal in recognition of the work of figures who contribute to raising the profile of Geneva. Previous recipients of the award include Kofi Annan, Albert Cohen, Jean Pictet, the Alinghi Team and Alice Rivaz. This year, the Mayor of Geneva has chosen to honour two legal NGOs born in Geneva: TRIAL and Geneva Call. Sami Kanaan affirms that “the strength and vitality of their commitment to promoting respect for the law is a credit and an asset to Geneva“.

Two NGOs upholding respect for the law

Geneva Call promotes respect for international humanitarian law by armed non-State actors. TRIAL, meanwhile, works to obtain justice for victims of the most serious crimes and ensure that their persecutors face prosecution. Although the missions and methods of Geneva Call and TRIAL are different, these two Geneva-based organizations share a fundamental belief in the force of law, and the importance of the law being upheld everywhere and by everyone.

“The awarding of this medal to our organizations reflects the city hall’s attachment to the spirit of the Geneva Conventions and to justice in general”, says Philip Grant, Director of TRIAL. The TRIAL Committee, directors and staff sincerely thank the Geneva authorities, and the Mayor in particular, for this distinction.

TRIAL: defending victims of the most serious crimes

From a small volunteer association when it was founded in 2002, TRIAL (Track Impunity Always) has grown to become an international NGO and now has some thirty staff worldwide. TRIAL is non-political and non-denominational, and is recognized as being an organization of public interest. Today, it is considered one of the most effective NGOs in the fight against impunity. In 2014, the institution in Bosnia-Herzegovina of proceedings against suspected perpetrators of sexual violence during the war, the first sentences in Burundi by the UN, new precedents for victims of enforced disappearances in Nepal and criminal proceedings brought against suspects in Switzerland are examples of TRIAL’s actions and the impact that the law can have. “Since its creation, TRIAL has supported hundreds of victims in their pursuit of justice, truth and reparation by initiating legal proceedings in numerous countries and before various international bodies”, explains Giorgio Malinverni, President of the NGO and former Judge of the European Court of Human Rights.