Acting Assistant Attorney General (A/AAG) Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division traveled to Berlin, Germany, to participate in and deliver remarks on Feb. 23 at the Bundesministerium der Justiz’s (BMJ) — also known as Germany’s Federal Ministry of Justice — International Conference on International Criminal Law titled, “Responding to crimes under international law: Holding war criminals to account.” She also met with international law enforcement partners and U.S. law enforcement assigned to U.S. Embassy Berlin to discuss law enforcement efforts between the two countries and advance the bilateral relationship with Germany on complex transnational criminal and national security matters.
A/AAG Argentieri was joined by U.S. Special Prosecutor for the Crime of Aggression Jessica Kim and War Crimes Accountability Team (WarCAT) Director Christian Levesque, who also participated on different panels at the conference, and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs former Attaché to Germany Andrea Tisi Austin.
On Feb. 22, A/AAG Argentieri met with U.S. Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission W. Clark Price to express the Justice Department’s gratitude for the Embassy’s support of Justice Department attachés. She then had a bilateral meeting with prosecutors of the German Federal Ministry of Justice, including Dr. Bernhard Böhm, who leads the International Criminal Law Division. She thanked them for the strong law enforcement relationship between the United States and Germany and cooperation on mutual legal assistance matters, as well as shared challenges. Following the meeting, she attended an evening reception at the Federal Ministry of Justice where conference participants were welcomed by German Federal Minister of Justice Dr. Marco Buschmann.
U.S. Special Prosecutor for the Crime of Aggression Kim, A/AAG Argentieri, Deputy Chief of Mission Clark Price, former Attaché to Germany Tisi Austin, and WarCAT Director Levesque.
The BMJ organized and hosted an international conference on Feb. 23, with high-ranking representatives from government, the judiciary, lawyers, and victim representatives. The aim of the conference was to underline the need for and importance of continued cooperation at the international level in the context of addressing conflict-related issues in support of Ukraine. A/AAG Argentieri delivered remarks on the work that the department has done to assist Ukraine and participated on the first conference panel entitled, “Supporting Ukraine Two Years after the Russian Attack,” with German Minister of Justice Buschmann and his Polish counterpart, Dr. Adam Bodnar.
A/AAG Argentieri delivering remarks at the International Conference on International Criminal Law. Polish Minister of Justice Bodnar and German Minister of Justice Buschmann seated.
On Friday, A/AAG Argentieri met individually with Polish Minister of Justice Bodnar to strengthen ongoing cooperation with Poland in advancing accountability for Ukraine, including joint efforts in the Eurojust-based Joint Investigation Team (JIT) for atrocity crimes and at the International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine (ICPA). Separately, she met with President of Eurojust Ladislav Hamran to reiterate the value the department places in Eurojust and thank him for everything he has done to facilitate the Justice Department’s expanded partnership with Eurojust, which is exemplified by the three U.S. prosecutors assigned to Eurojust, including two liaison prosecutors and U.S. Special Prosecutor for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine Kim. A/AAG Argentieri also met with Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin to express appreciation for their excellent law enforcement relationship and discuss how the United States can further efforts supporting Ukraine. Lastly, she met with Germany’s Acting Federal Public Prosecutor General Dr. Lars Otte to discuss continued cooperation and shared law enforcement priorities on Russian war crimes and other atrocities committed in Ukraine, and violent extremism impacting both countries. In her meetings, A/AAG Argentieri looked to bolster the close collaboration between the United States and the international community on bilateral justice matters.
From left to right: German Minister of Justice Buschmann, A/AAG Argentieri, Polish Minister of Justice Bodnar, and Ukrainian Prosecutor General Kostin.
A/AAG Argentieri and President of Eurojust Hamran.
“The Justice Department is working closely with our international partners to pursue comprehensive accountability for Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine,” said A/AAG Argentieri. “Our efforts are not limited to war crimes accountability, but through various initiatives and legal tools, targeting those responsible for fueling the Russian war machine — while holding the highest levels of leadership accountable for the aggression against Ukraine. I was honored to stand with our international partners to discuss furthering these efforts.”
A/AAG Argentieri and Germany’s Acting Federal Public Prosecutor General Dr. Otte.
During the visit, A/AAG Argentieri also visited the Topography of Terror Museum to learn more about the International Military Tribunals at Nuremberg and Tokyo, as well as other special tribunals and accountability mechanisms focused on accountability for aggression and war crimes committed during the war.
A/AAG Argentieri remains committed to continued cooperation between the United States and its European partners including Germany, Poland, and Ukraine.
Official news published at https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/readout-acting-assistant-attorney-general-nicole-m-argentieris-trip-germany
