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The Hague -- Today, 9 March 2012, five judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC) were sworn in at a ceremony held at the seat of the Court in The Hague. Judges Howard Morrison (United Kingdom), Anthony T. Carmona (Trinidad and Tobago), Olga Herrera Carbuccia (Dominican Republic), Robert Fremr (Czech Republic) and Chile Eboe-Osuji (Nigeria) were elected at the latest session of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute (ASP) in December 2011 for nine-year terms.
Judge Miriam Defensor-Santiago (Republic of the Philippines), who was also elected in December, was unavailable due to personal circumstances. The solemn undertaking for her will take place at a later date.
In accordance with article 45 of the Rome Statute, founding treaty of the ICC, today’s ceremony was held in open court. Each judge made a solemn undertaking before the President of the ASP, H.E. Tiina Intelmann, stating: “I solemnly undertake that I will perform my duties and exercise my powers as a judge of the International Criminal Court honourably, faithfully, impartially and conscientiously, and that I will respect the confidentiality of investigations and prosecutions and the secrecy of deliberations”.
In his opening address, ICC President Judge Sang-Hyun Song welcomed the arrival of the new judges to the Court. “As existing and new judges, we will all work together to reinforce the rule of law and continue to develop a system of international criminal justice of which the ICC and its States Parties can be proud. In doing so, we will always remember the countless people around the world, especially the victims and vulnerable, who look to this Court with hope and expectation for a better, more just future”, he stated.
The President of the ASP, H.E. Tiina Intelmann, commented: “The Court’s institutional reputation and its place in the international system are contingent upon the ability to deliver justice with all the guarantees of a fair trial, in accordance with the Rome Statute”.
Also attending the ceremony were the judges of the Court, ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo, Deputy Prosecutor and Prosecutor-elect Fatou Bensouda, ICC Registrar Silvana Arbia and Deputy Registrar Didier Preira, Vice President of the ASP H.E. Markus Börlin, together with a large number of diplomats and other high-ranking guests, representatives of other international organisations in The Hague and members of the civil society.
On Sunday, 11 March 2012, the ICC judges will hold a closed plenary session to elect the members of the ICC Presidency for a three-year term from 2012 to 2015. A press release announcing the results will follow the election.
The International Criminal Court has a bench of 18 judges who are nationals of States Parties to the Rome Statute. Judges are chosen from among persons of high moral character, impartiality and integrity who possess the qualifications required in their respective countries for appointment to the highest judicial offices. The election of the judges takes into account the need for the representation of the principal legal systems of the world, a fair representation of men and women, and equitable geographical distribution.
Statement of ICC President Judge Sang-Hyun Song:
http://www.icc-cpi.int/NR/rdonlyres/97438550-9738-4434-96F1-46ED7C591A77/0/ICCPresidentStatement090312.pdf
Photographs of the ceremony:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/icc-cpi/sets/72157629546313265/
Video of the ceremony (YouTube):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Trq24C2dYhI
Downloadable video and audio for broadcasting
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For further information, please contact Fadi El Abdallah, Spokesperson and Head of Public Affairs Unit, International Criminal Court, by telephone at: +31 (0)70 515-9152 or +31 (0)6 46448938 or by e-mail at: fadi.el-abdallah@icc-cpi.int.
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