Resources
Friday, May 27, 2022
  • Login
Journalists for Justice
No Result
View All Result

Browse by Topic:

  • Home
  • Communities of Justice
  • Opinion & Analysis
  • Human Rights
  • Elections
  • About US
  • Our Work
  • Careers
No Result
View All Result
Journalists for Justice
  • Home
  • Communities of Justice
  • Opinion & Analysis
  • Human Rights
  • Elections
  • About US
  • Our Work
  • Careers
No Result
View All Result
Journalists for Justice
No Result
View All Result
Home ICC Cases

Deadline for applications for ICC prosecutor extended to November 25

Journalists For JusticebyJournalists For Justice
November 18, 2019
in ICC Cases
Reading Time: 4 mins read
A A
0
Citizens petition to save an internet provider once crucial for international criminal justice
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

The Bureau of the Assembly of States Parties (ASP) has decided to extend the deadline to apply for the position of International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor by nearly four weeks and has requested States Parties to further disseminate the vacancy announcement. The  vacancy announcement was first published on August 2 and originally listed October 31 as the deadline to receive applications. However, after a briefing from the Chair of the Committee on the Election of the Prosecutor, Ambassador Sabine Nölke of Canada, the Bureau moved to extend the deadline until Monday, November 25.

Ambassador Nölke cited specific reasons [pdf] why the deadline to receive applications should be extended.  These reasons include that “some regions were significantly under-represented amongst the applicants and there was an imbalance in relation to gender and legal systems.” The last available public information [pdf] indicates that only 55 applications had been received by the Committee on the Election of the Prosecutor. Therefore, the committee recommended more time “to ensure that a wide range of qualified candidates had the opportunity to apply for the position.”

It is imperative that States Parties to the ICC adhere to the request of the President of the ASP to disseminate the vacancy announcement and encourage qualified candidates to apply. The President especially encouraged ASP Bureau members to promulgate “the vacancy announcement as widely as possible, particularly in regions where fewer applications had been received.”

At this point, the applications that have been submitted to the committee are not public, so it is not possible to know what regions are either over or under-represented. However, it is important to highlight that the overriding criteria for the election of the prosecutor should be merit-based, and the selection process should not be based on an expectation of regional rotation. The last two prosecutors came from Latin America and Africa, and there could be an expectation that the next prosecutor should come from the WEOG region (Western Europe and Other States Group).  Regional rotation for prominent leadership positions at international organizations, such as the UN Secretary-General, is a common practice. While that practice might be appropriate for other organizations to ensure a diversity of perspectives and allow under-represented regions to participate in leadership roles, setting a precedent for regional rotation at the ICC could be damaging.

RelatedStories

Gicheru witness tampering trial starts before the ICC

Trial Chamber VI to hear Said Abdel Kani case

Court turns down bid to introduce elusive witness’s testimony, but allows four other statements

The position of the ICC prosecutor carries very significant responsibilities and requires a high degree of specialization. The ICC prosecutor must meet, among other, the following criteria: be of high moral character; be highly competent in and have extensive practical experience in the prosecution or trial of criminal cases; and have an excellent knowledge of and be fluent in at least one of the working languages of the court (English or French). In practice, the prosecutor must be a leader with significant expertise in complex criminal investigations and prosecutors; demonstrated experience in the exercise of discretion in sensitive cases; outstanding managerial experience; demonstrated independence and impartiality; and no history of workplace misconduct or harassment. The position of the ICC prosecutor serves a nine-year term, and individuals with this combination of skills, personality, and knowledge may not be available in all regions every time there is an election. Electing a prosecutor based on considerations other than merit could have significant political and financial costs.

Furthermore, as pointed out by other civil society organizations, the “representation of women in leadership positions at the ICC is at an all-time low” [pdf].  Therefore, States Parties and the Bureau, in particular, should make efforts to ensure a broad range of qualified female candidates apply for the position of prosecutor. At the moment, Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda is the only female among the four ICC principals (President Chile Eboe-Osuji, Registrar Peter Lewis, and ASP President O-Gon Kwon are all male). By the time Bensouda leaves office in 2021, there will be a new ICC president and a new ASP president, and it is not known who will be serving in those positions. However, considering the current low level of representation of females among ICC principals, it is likely that the ICC could end up with an all-male leadership. Female candidates should be encouraged to apply, and their applications should get a similar level of scrutiny to those put forward by male candidates.

As noted in a previous blog, the strength of the ICC depends on the “character, quality, and inclusiveness of its leadership.” A broad pool of applicants should include a wide range of geographic representation, including from all five United Nations’ regions, as well as balance among male and female candidates.

The full vacancy announcement and details on how to apply are available here.

This was first published on the International Justice Monitor.

Previous Post

Gambia moves to ICJ to stop Rohingya genocide

Next Post

Ntaganda appeals sentence; alleges judge unfit to serve

Journalists For Justice

Journalists For Justice

Related Posts

Kenyan lawyer Paul Gicheru at the opening of his trial at the International Criminal Court on February 15, 2022. Photo credit: @ICC-CPI

Gicheru witness tampering trial starts before the ICC

February 16, 2022
Mr Said during the opening of the confirmation of charges hearing at the seat of the Court in The Hague (The Netherlands) on 12 October 2021 ©ICC-CPI

Trial Chamber VI to hear Said Abdel Kani case

December 20, 2021
Paul Gicheru appearing before the ICC via video-link from the ICC Detention Centre on 6 November 2020. Photo credit: ICC-CPI

Court turns down bid to introduce elusive witness’s testimony, but allows four other statements

December 17, 2021
Special Criminal Court Arrests CAR Minister Bouba for War Crimes. Photo: News Central TV

Pressure mounts for CAR minister to face justice

December 2, 2021
ICC Trial Chamber VIII declares Mr Al Mahdi guilty of the war crime of attacking historic and religious buildings in Timbuktu and sentences him to nine years' imprisonment. Photo credit: @ICC-CPI

Al Mahdi to be released early after ICC cuts sentence by two years

December 1, 2021
Dominic Ongwen's appeal hearing coming up in February 2022. Photo credit: @ICC-CPI.

Ongwen’s appeal hearing to start in February 2022

November 26, 2021
Next Post
Ntaganda handed the longest sentence in ICC history

Ntaganda appeals sentence; alleges judge unfit to serve

0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Login
Notify of
Please login to comment
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
No Result
View All Result

Recent Posts

  • Said Abdel Kani to remain in custody as Appeals Chamber rejects his plea for release
  • Are we ready? CSOs audit Kenya’s election preparedness
  • Parties prepare to wind up Gicheru case
  • Hope at last for Kenyan victims, but is TFV’s planned support enough?
  • Gicheru asks ICC judge to admit new evidence

Recent Comments

  • JFJ - Journalists for Justice on Kenyan lawyer denies bribery charges at the ICC
  • JFJ - Journalists for Justice on You did me wrong, Bemba tells ICC as he demands 70 million euros
  • JFJ - Journalists for Justice on Two victims’ lawyers in Kenyatta case in line to become next ICC prosecutor
  • JFJ - Journalists for Justice on Profiles of the four people shortlisted for the job of ICC Prosecutor
  • Write My Essay on Afghanistan case fails to take off at the ICC — pragmatism’ or surrender to the powerful?

Archives

Categories

JFJ – Journalists for Justice

We call out impunity wherever it occurs; we advocate justice for all victims of atrocity crimes; and we work with people of goodwill everywhere who share our values.

Browse by Topics:

Archives by Month:

Never Again
INTAHE
BarometreVerite
The Victims' Bantaba
No Result
View All Result
  • Confronting Impunity
  • Communities of Justice
  • Opinion
  • About US
  • Our Work
  • Login

Copyright © 2019. Journalists for Justice has asserted its right to be recognized as creators and owners of the content here. Reproduction in part or in whole is permitted on condition that JFJ is acknowledged and notified.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
wpDiscuz