05.09.11 - ICC/JUDGES - SEVENTEEN CANDIDATES TO RUN FOR ELECTION AS ICC JUDGES

The Hague, September 5, 2011 (FH) - With the application deadline of September 2 now passed, seventeen candidates have applied for election as judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC). The General Assembly of States Parties will elect six of them when it convenes in New York from December 12 to 21, 2011.

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Of the 17, there are 8 African candidates, 4 from Europe, 3 from South America/Caribbean and 2 from Asia (Cyprus is in the Asian group of States at the ICC). The candidate from the Philippines is also the only woman.

The 17 candidates, starting with their country of origin, are as follows:

Tunisia: Professor Ajmi Bel Haj Amouda is a defence lawyer before Tunis' final court of Appeal.

Sierra Leone: John Bankole Thomson was a judge at the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) from 2003 to 2009 before becoming a Professor at Eastern Kentucky University (USA).

Burkina Faso: Gustave Gberdao Kam, now a technical advisor in his country's Ministry of Justice, has worked as an ad litem judge at the ICTR.

Nigeria: Chile Eboe-Osuji (also a Canadian citizen) is currently legal advisor to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.  A member of the SCSL Prosecutor's office in 2007 and 2008, he also worked at the ICTR from 1997 to 2005.

Democratic Republic of Congo: After four years spent at the ICTR, Congolese Antoine Mindua has been a judge at the ICTY since 2006.

Mauritius: Vinod Boolell was formerly a judge in Cambodia and Kosovo, and is currently serving a seven-year term with the UN Dispute Tribunal located in Nairobi.

Central African Republic: Modeste-Martineau Bria has been working as a prosecutor in his home country since 1995.

Niger: Mounkalla Hamani Nouhou, specialized in public spending and corruption cases, is currently Presiding Judge of the first Chamber of Niamey's Cour des comptes (National Audit office).

Cyprus: Judge George Serghides is currently President of the Family Court of Nicosia.

Czech Republic: Robert Fremr was a judge at the Czech Supreme Court and is currently serving as an ad litem judge at the ICTR.

Poland: Wladislav Czaplinski is a Professor of Law at Warsaw University.

France: Bruno Cathala was the first Registrar of the International Criminal Court from 2003 to 2008. He now heads a tribunal in Evry (France).

UK: Howard Morrison is one of the judges in Radovan Karadzic's trial before the ICTY. He also has previous experience with the Special Tribunal for Lebanon and the ICTR.

Trinidad and Tobago: Anthony Thomas Acquinas Carmona is a judge at the Supreme Court. He previously worked with the Office of the Prosecutor at the ICTY and ICTR from 2001 to 2004. Colombia: Eduardo Munoz Cifuentes is currently an associate professor at the Andes University.

Mexico: Javier Laynez Potisek is currently a lawyer at the Ministry of Finance.

Philippines: Miriam Defensor-Santiagois currently a Senator in her home country.

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