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Victory for Bensouda, Eboe-Osuji and Sebuntinde |
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Africa Legal Aid congratulates Fatou Bensouda, Chile Eboe Osuji and Julia Sebuntinde for their recent elections to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) respectively. On 12th December, during the Meeting of the Assembly of State Parties (ASP) to the ICC held in New York, Fatou Bensouda was formally elected as the new ICC Prosecutor. The election of Bensouda has been welcomed in all parts of the world, especially Africa, where many renowned personalities under the auspices of the Africa Forum have hailed her election. The Africa Forum expressed gratitude for the work done by African Civil Society organizations to support Bensouda’s election. Please click here for the congratulatory message. In her election statement, which was also partially given in French, Gambian-born Bensouda observed that the position of ICC Prosecutor is the trigger of the ICC. She paid tribute to her predecessor, the first and current Prosecutor of the ICC, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, stating that he had been an inspiration. Bensouda’s nine-year tenure as Prosecutor begins in June, 2012. Please click here for the election statement of Fatou Bensouda. |
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Concerns had been expressed that the focus on the ICC Prosecutor position may affect the African candidates in the ICC judicial elections. A total of 19 candidates including six candidates from Africa competed for six judicial positions, two of which could have gone to African candidates. The candidate from Tunisia withdrew his candidature before the elections. The candidates from Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso, and Niger subsequently withdrew their candidatures, leaving the candidates from Mauritius and Nigeria, the AU endorsed candidates, to compete for two possible judicial slots for Africa. On 16th December, Chile Eboe-Osuji of Nigeria was elected. |
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Another historical victory for Africa is the election of Julia Sebutinde as Judge of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) by the UN Security Council and the UN General Assembly on 13th December. Sebutinde is the first African Woman and the first East African to be elected as Judge of this world court. Sebutinde is currently a Judge of the Special Court for Sierra Leone sitting in The Hague, and was presiding judge in the Charles Taylor Trial. |
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An elated Ambassador Mirjam Blaak of Uganda, who, together with others, campaigned tirelessly for election of African candidates, said after election of her compatriot, Julia Sebutinde on December 13th: “Julia Sebutinde is the first African woman to be elected as Judge of the International Court of Justice. This and the earlier election of Fatou Bensouda are two firsts: a historical victory for African women in New York this week.” |
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