ASP Opens Nomination Period for Judges
to the International Criminal Court
10 September 2002
New York, United Nations - The Assembly of States
Parties (ASP) to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court
yesterday opened the period for nomination of candidates for the first
eighteen judges of the court. The nomination period will close on 30 November
2002 and the elections will be held from 3-7 February 2003.
"We hope that governments realize the significance
of the first elections for this Court and understand that they cannot go about
this as if it's business as usual," said Vahida Nainar of the Women's
Caucus for Gender Justice. "Women must be present on this Court in
significant number and we hope the procedures adopted will help ensure
this."
After the adoption of procedures that will govern
the election process Prince Zeid Ra'ad Zeid Al-Hussein, the Jordanian
Ambassador and President of the ASP, strongly appealed to governments not to
participate in the "regime of reciprocal agreements or swaps" of
votes in the conduct of ICC elections.
In an address to the ASP this week, UN Secretary-General
Kofi Annan spoke to this issue, saying, "the judges, Prosecutor and other
high officials must meet the highest standards of legal rigour, human
sensitivity and professional probity."
The Rome Statute requires that candidates have established competence in
either criminal law and procedure or relevant areas of international law, and
that they be persons of high moral character, impartiality and integrity who
possess the qualifications required in their respective States for appointment
to the highest judicial offices. The treaty furthermore specifies that
countries may choose between their own nomination procedures for appointment
to the highest judicial offices, or those of the International Court of
Justice.
The nomination period will close on November 30, 2002
and he elections of the first 18 judges will be held from 3-7 February
2003.
To date, a number of candidates have been announced,
including Mr. Georghios M. Piokis of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr. Karl
Hudson-Philips, Q.C. of Trinidad and Tobago, Ms. Barbara Ott of Switzerland,
Mr. Adrian Fulford of the United Kingdom, Mr. Marc Bossuyt of Belgium, Mr.
Almiro Rodrigues of Portugal, Mr. Doudou Ndir of Senegal, Mr. Mauro Politti of
Italy and Mr. Philippe Kirsch of Canada. The governments of Mongolia, France,
Brazil and Bolivia have also announced their intention to nominate
candidates.
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