Wednesday 8 November
STIAS – Stellenbosch Institute of Advanced Studies
8.30 – 0pening of the Forum.
9.00 – Military justice, state, and society in Modern Times.
- Benjamin Deruelle (Université de Québec à Montréal), Valentin Grandclaude (Université de Québec à Montréal, Université de Rennes 2), Reforms, tensions and the consolidation of power: around the construction of military justice in late medieval and early modern France.
- Quentin Verreycken (Université Catholique de Louvain), ‘Roi de justice’ and ‘père des armes’: Military justice and royal pardon in fifteenth and sixteenth-Century France.
- David Gilles (Saint-Cyr Coëtquidan Military Academy, Université de Sherbrooke), “I am left, like a wanderer in a wilderness, to proceed at hazard” (Colonel G. Washington): from the militia justice to the regular English military justice, (1754-1759).
Questions (10’)
10.10 – Break
10.30 – Military justice and World Wars in Europe
- Gwenaël Guyon (Saint-Cyr Coëtquidan Military Academy, Université de Paris Cité), Reconciling discipline and Justice after the First World War: towards the ‘civilianisation’ of French military justice (1918-1928).
- Alessandra Bassani (Università degli studi di Milano), The Italian fascist special court for the defense of the State (1926-1943).
- Raffaella Bianchi Riva (Università degli studi di Milano), Collaboration with the enemy during World War II in Italian transitional justice: a case study (1943-1948).
- Xavier Rousseaux (FNRS/Université Catholique de Louvain), Wartime occupation, military justice and civilians: the ambiguous legacy of the 20th century. The Belgian experience in European perspective.
Questions (10’)
12.00 – Lunch
13.00 – History of Japanese Military Justice
- Tino Schöltz (Freie Universität Berlin), Enforcing discipline and protecting the imperial army: on the history of the Japanese military justice system (1880-1945)
- Kelly Maddox (Freie Universität Berlin), Maintaining order in occupied territories: the Japanese military justice system during the Asia-pacific war (1937-1945).
Questions (10’)
13.50 – Springbok traitors and collaborators during the World War Two
- Evert Kleynhans (Stellenbosch University), An exploratory investigation into the Rein Mission and the post-war hunt for suspected South African war criminals and traitors, 1945-1948.
- Anna la Grange (University of Potsdam), War criminals, war crime victims, and traitors: The Union of South Africa’s prosecution of wartime offences committed by and against Union nationals, 1943-1948.
- Suné Kleynhans (North-West University), “On charges of treason”: The case against the Afrikaans broadcasters of Radio Zeesen after WWII.
Questions (10’)
15.00 – Tea break
15.20 – Military justice and international humanitarian law
- Maj. Chantal Fleischmann (Defence Legal Services Sivision, SANDF), Investigating the military prosecution of South African soldiers involved in sexual abuse and exploitation during United Nations peacekeeping operations in Africa.
- Jolanda Pretorius (University of Pretoria), Collective responsibility of organised armed groups for systematic breaches of international humanitarian law during non-international armed conflicts.
Questions (10’)
16.10 – Military justice and moral legislation
- Anri Delport (Stellenbosch University), “Criminal, gambler, deserter or war hero?” An exploration of the influence of moratory legislation on the social contract between the Union of South Africa and its First World War citizen-soldiers, (1914-1925).
- Lt Col (Dr) Sonja Els (Stellenbosch University), The marching drums of dishonourable discharge in the military: an international comparative study.
- Hendrick Snyders (Stellenbosch University), “Humiliation through court martial?“ – Chris Bezuidenhout, the South African Defence Force, professional rugby league and enforcing military discipline during the 1960s.
Questions (10’)
17.20 – End of discussions
18.30 – Speakers Dinner
Thursday 9 November
STIAS – Stellenbosch Institute of Advanced Studies
8.30 – Military justice and constitutionality issues
- Lt Col (Dr) Michelle Nel (Stellenbosch University), The Constitutionality of the South African Military Justice System: Quo Vadis?
- Col (Dr) Piet Bester and Lt Col (Dr) Sonja Els (Stellenbosch University), The constitutionality of polygraph testing for security vetting in the South African Department of Defence.
- Lt Cdr (Dr) Bulelani Tsewu (Defence Legal Services Division, SANDF), Military judiciary can never be truly independent: really?
- Major Gary Muller (Office of the Surgeon General, SANDF), Medical autonomy and the soldier: the right to refuse medical treatment.
- Major Victor Simukonda (Zambian Armed Forces), African indigenous knowledge and the development and evolution of military justice in Africa.
Questions (15’)
10.25 – Tea break
10.45 – Military justice, AI and autonomous weapons
- Lt Col (Dr) Sonja Els and Col (Dr) Piet Bester (Stellenbosch University), The legal and moral landscape of Artificial Intelligence and conventional military operations: The accountability gap between man and machine.
- Clea Strydom (Center for international law and public policy in Africa), The future of military justice: accountability and weapons systems with autonomous functions.
- Gabriel Udoh (Europa-Universität Viadrina Frankfurt), Now that our weapons can ‘think’: legal and ethical considerations of autonomy in weapons’ systems.
Questions (10’)
12.00 – Lunch
13.30 – The reform of military justice: global perspectives
- Amit Upadhyay, Abhinav Mehrotra (Jindal Global University), Military justice reforms: need for a renewed approach in the 21st century.
- Brian Lee Cox (Cornell Law School), Parallels and pitfalls: a comparative assessment of contemporary efforts to change military culture through civilian-directed military justice reform.
- Umesh Chandra Jha (retired Wing CDR, Indian Armed forces), Military justice in South Asian countries: past, present, and future reforms.
Questions (10’)
14.40 – Tea break
15.00. Roundtable. The reform of military justice in the Commonwealth
– HHJ Alan Large, Judge Advocate General of His Majesty’s Armed Forces (UK),
– Chief Judge Kevin Riordan, Judge advocate General of the Armed Forces of New Zealand,
– Lt Col (Dr) Michelle Nel, Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Military Science, Stellenbosch University,
– Major Navdeep Singh, Punjab and Haryana High Court.
16.30 – Closing of the event
17:00 – Cocktail
Friday 10 November
Cultural trip – Franschhoek
IMJF 2023 