More judges elected to International Criminal Court
Regional-UN, Judicial, 2/10/2003

The countries taking part in the organizing assembly for the world's first permanent war crimes court, being held at United Nations Headquarters in New York last week, elected the required 18 judges who will be the first to serve on the new tribunal.

The judges were elected in secret balloting. All the judges elected this week will be sworn in when the Court is inaugurated in The Hague on 11 March. The jurists and the Prosecutor, who will be elected by consensus later, will be key to shaping the Court and making it an independent, fair and effective institution. The treaty establishing the Court entered into force in July 2002.

The States Parties will reconvene tomorrow morning to conclude their voting.

The Court is expected to be operational by the end of 2003 and will be the world's only permanent tribunal for prosecuting individuals responsible for war crimes, including genocide, and crimes against humanity, and, eventually, the crime of aggression. The Court will have jurisdiction only over crimes committed after 1 July 2002, when the Statute entered into force.

Previous Stories:
  International Criminal Court statute enters force; Annan hails 'historic' occasion   (7/2/2002)
  Egypt, Arab states invited to forge statute of international criminal court   (5/13/2002)
  International Criminal Court treaty event heralding permanent war crimes court   (4/13/2002)

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