2015 International Criminal Court judges election

Last updated

A special election for one judge of the International Criminal Court was held during the resumption of the 13th session of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court which took place in The Hague from 24 to 25 June 2015. [1]

Contents

The election became necessary after one judge elected in the 2011 election was unavailable: Miriam Defensor-Santiago had resigned from the bench on 3 June 2014. [1]

Background

The judge elected at this election was chosen to complete the term, until 10 March 2021, of the judge he replaced.

The election was governed by the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Its article 36(8)(a) states that "[t]he States Parties shall, in the selection of judges, take into account the need, within the membership of the Court, for:

Furthermore, article 36(3)(b) and 36(5) provide for two lists:

Each candidate has to belong to exactly one list. A minimum of nine judges elected from list A and five judges elected from list B is to be maintained on the court.

Further rules of election were adopted by a resolution of the Assembly of States Parties in 2004. [2]

Judges remaining in office

The following judges remained in office: [3]

JudgeNationality List A or B Regional criteria Gender
List AList BAfricanAsianE. EuropeanGRULAGWEOGFemaleMale
Joyce Aluoch Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya XXX
Chung Chang-ho Flag of South Korea.svg  South Korea XXX
Chile Eboe-Osuji Flag of Nigeria.svg  Nigeria XXX
Silvia Fernández de Gurmendi Flag of Argentina.svg  Argentina XXX
Robert Fremr Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic XXX
Geoffrey A. Henderson  [ de ]Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg  Trinidad and Tobago XXX
Olga Venecia Herrera Carbuccia Flag of the Dominican Republic.svg  Dominican Republic XXX
Piotr Hofmański Flag of Poland.svg  Poland XXX
Péter Kovács Flag of Hungary.svg  Hungary XXX
Antoine Mindua Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg  Democratic Republic of the Congo XXX
Sanji Mmasenono Monageng Flag of Botswana.svg  Botswana XXX
Howard Morrison Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom XXX
Kuniko Ozaki Flag of Japan.svg  Japan XXX
Marc Pierre Perrin de Brichambaut Flag of France.svg  France XXX
Bertram Schmitt Flag of Germany.svg  Germany XXX
Cuno Tarfusser Flag of Italy.svg  Italy XXX
Christine van den Wyngaert Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium XXX
    
12542335611

Nomination process

The nomination period of judges for the 2015 special election lasted from 18 February to 31 March 2015 [1] and could have been extended up to three times if there had been a lack of candidates from a group for which a minimum voting requirement was in place. The following persons were nominated: [4]

NameNationalityList A or BRegionGender
Ibrahim Aljazy Flag of Jordan.svg  Jordan List BAsia-Pacific StatesMale
Raul Cano Pangalangan Flag of the Philippines.svg  Philippines List BAsia-Pacific StatesMale

The nomination dated 31 March 2015 of A.B.M. Khairul Haque of Bangladesh was withdrawn on 13 April 2015.

Minimum voting requirements

Minimum voting requirements governed part of the election. This was to ensure that articles 36(5) and 36(8)(a) cited above were fulfilled. For this election, the following minimum voting requirements existed; they could have been adjusted once the election was underway.

Regarding the List A or B requirement, there was no minimum voting requirement.

Regarding the regional criteria, there was a voting requirement for one judge from the Asia-Pacific States.

Regarding the gender criteria, there was no minimum voting requirement.

The regional criterion could have been adjusted even before the election depending on the number of candidates. Paragraph 20(b) of the ASP resolution that governs the elections states that if there are less than double the number of candidates required for each region, the minimum voting requirement shall be a (rounded-up) half of the number of candidates; except when there is only one candidate which results in no voting requirement.

The regional criterion would have been dropped if the seat had not been filled after four ballots.

The voting requirements were as follows: [1]

CriterionNumber of judges requiredNumber of judges remaining in officeVoting requirement ex anteNumber of candidatesAdjusted voting requirementAdjusted requirement equals ex ante?
Lists A or B
List A912000Yes
List B55020Yes
Regional criteria
African states34000Yes
Asian states32121Yes
Eastern European states33000Yes
Latin American and Caribbean States33000Yes
Western European and other States35000Yes
Gender criteria
Female66000Yes
Male611020Yes

Ballots

On 24 June 2015, Raul Cano Pangalangan of the Philippines was elected. [5]

The ballot took place on 24 June 2015. The voting totals were as follows:

NameNationalityList A or BRegionGender1st round2nd round
Number of States Parties voting8384
Two-thirds majority5656
Ibrahim Aljazy Flag of Jordan.svg  Jordan List BAsia-Pacific StatesMale3025
Raul Cano Pangalangan Flag of the Philippines.svg  Philippines List BAsia-Pacific StatesMale5359

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Criminal Court</span> Intergovernmental organization and international tribunal

The International Criminal Court is an intergovernmental organization and international tribunal seated in The Hague, Netherlands. It is the first and only permanent international court with jurisdiction to prosecute individuals for the international crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression. The ICC is distinct from the International Court of Justice, an organ of the United Nations that hears disputes between states.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rome Statute</span> 1998 international treaty establishing the International Criminal Court

The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court is the treaty that established the International Criminal Court (ICC). It was adopted at a diplomatic conference in Rome, Italy on 17 July 1998 and it entered into force on 1 July 2002. As of February 2024, 124 states are party to the statute. Among other things, it establishes court function, jurisdiction and structure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">States parties to the Rome Statute</span> States that have become party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court

The states parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court are those sovereign states that have ratified, or have otherwise become party to, the Rome Statute. The Rome Statute is the treaty that established the International Criminal Court, an international court that has jurisdiction over certain international crimes, including genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes that are committed by nationals of states parties or within the territory of states parties. States parties are legally obligated to co-operate with the Court when it requires, such as in arresting and transferring indicted persons or providing access to evidence and witnesses. States parties are entitled to participate and vote in proceedings of the Assembly of States Parties, which is the Court's governing body. Such proceedings include the election of such officials as judges and the Prosecutor, the approval of the Court's budget, and the adoption of amendments to the Rome Statute.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judges of the International Criminal Court</span>

The eighteen judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC) are elected for nine-year terms by the member-countries of the court. Candidates must be nationals of those countries and they must "possess the qualifications required in their respective States for appointment to the highest judicial offices".

Kimberly Prost is a Canadian jurist currently serving as a judge of the International Criminal Court, assigned to the Trial Division. She was elected to a nine-year term on December 5, 2017, was sworn in on March 9, 2018, and assumed full-time duty on June 11, 2018.

Amendments to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court must be proposed, adopted, and ratified in accordance with articles 121 and 122 of the Statute. Any state party to the Statute can propose an amendment. The proposed amendment can be adopted by a two-thirds majority vote in either a meeting of the Assembly of States Parties or a review conference called by the Assembly. An amendment comes into force for all states parties one year after it is ratified by seven-eighths of the states parties. However, any amendment to articles 5, 6, 7, or 8 of the Statute only enters into force for states parties that have ratified the amendment. A state party which ratifies an amendment to articles 5, 6, 7, or 8 is subject to that amendment one year after ratifying it, regardless of how many other states parties have also ratified it. For an article 5, 6, 7, or 8 amendment, the Statute itself is amended after the amendment comes into force for the first state party to ratify it. Amendments of a purely institutional nature enter into force six months after they are approved by a two-thirds majority vote in either a meeting of the Assembly of States Parties or a review conference.

Six judges of the International Criminal Court were elected during the 10th session of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court in New York between 12 and 21 December 2011. The judges elected, Anthony Carmona of Trinidad and Tobago, Miriam Defensor Santiago of the Philippines, Chile Eboe-Osuji of Nigeria, Robert Fremr of the Czech Republic, Olga Venecia Herrera Carbuccia of the Dominican Republic and Howard Morrison of the United Kingdom, took office on 11 March 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court</span> Office within the International Criminal Court

The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court is the officer of the International Criminal Court whose duties include the investigation and prosecution of the crimes under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court, namely genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes as well as the crime of aggression.

A special election for two judges of the International Criminal Court was held during the 8th session of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court in The Hague on 18 November 2009.

An ordinary election for six judges of the International Criminal Court was held during the resumption of the 7th session of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court in New York on 19 and 20 January 2009.

A special election for three judges of the International Criminal Court was held during the 6th session of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court in New York on 30 November and 3 December 2007.

An ordinary election for six judges of the International Criminal Court was held during the resumption of the 4th session of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court in New York on 26 January 2006.

An ordinary election for the first full bench of 18 judges of the International Criminal Court was held during the first resumption of the 1st session of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court in New York between 3 and 7 February 2003.

Six judges of the International Criminal Court were elected during the 13th session of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court held from 8 to 17 December 2014 in New York. The judges were elected for terms of nine years and took office on 11 March 2015.

A special election for one judge of the International Criminal Court was held during the 12th session of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court which took place in The Hague from 20 to 28 November 2013.

The 2023 International Court of Justice election was held on 9 November 2023 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City. In the set of triennial elections, the General Assembly and the Security Council concurrently elect five judges to the Court for nine-year terms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gocha Lordkipanidze</span>

Gocha Lordkipanidze is a Georgian lawyer, legal scholar and civil servant, who has been a judge of the International Criminal Court since 2021. He served as a deputy minister in the Ministry of Justice of Georgia from 2012 to 2020, and then as the Minister of Justice from 2020 to 2021.

Six judges of the International Criminal Court were elected during the 16th session of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court held from 4 to 14 December 2017 in New York. The judges were elected for terms of nine years and took office on 11 March 2018.

Six judges of the International Criminal Court were elected during the 19th session of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court held from 7 to 17 December 2020 in New York. The judges were elected for terms of nine years and took office on 11 March 2021.

Six judges of the International Criminal Court were elected during the 22nd session of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court held from 4 to 14 December 2023 in New York. The judges were elected for terms of nine years and took office on 11 March 2024.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "ICC-ASP/R13/SP/04" (PDF). Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute . Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  2. "Resolution ICC-ASP/3/Res.6" (PDF). Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute . 10 September 2004. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 April 2024. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
  3. "Annex II – Composition of the judges" (PDF). Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute . p. 11. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
  4. "Nominations". Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute . 23 July 2014. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  5. Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute elects a judge. ICC press release. 24 June 2015. Retrieved 28 June 2015.