Statement by Mr Andries Nel, MP, Deputy Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development of the Republic of South Africa on the Election of Six Judges of the International Criminal Court


Mr. Andries Nel, MP, Deputy Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development of South Africa congratulated six judges on their election to the International Criminal Court.


The six are Anthony Carmona (Trinidad and Tobago), Miriam Defensor-Santiago (Philippines), Robert Fremr (Czech Republic), Olga Herrera Carbuccia (Dominican Republic), Howard Morrison (United Kingdom) and Chile Eboe-Usuji (Nigeria).


The elections were held at the annual Assembly of States Parties of the International Criminal Court being held at UN headquarters in New York.
Deputy Minister Nel is leading the South African delegation.

They will serve for a period of nine years starting in 2012 when the terms of their predecessors come to an end. There were 19 nominations for the six positions.

The Judicial Divisions of the Court consist of eighteen judges organized into the Pre-Trial Division, the Trial Division and the Appeals Division. The judges of each Division are responsible for conducting the proceedings of the Court at different stages. 

Assignment of judges to Divisions is done in a manner that ensures that each Division benefits from an appropriate combination of expertise in criminal law and procedure and international law.

The Court is led by Sang-Hyun Song (Republic of Korea) – President of the Court, and presently has judges from Mali, Germany, Costa Rica, Ghana, Finland, Latvia, United Kingdom, Brazil, Bulgaria, Uganda, France, Kenya, Botswana, Belgium, Italy, Argentina, Japan and Bolivia.

Nel reiterated South Africa’s commitment to the fight against impunity and its support for the Court. He also pointed out that 5 of the 18 judges on the court are from African states.

The Assembly of States Parties of the ICC will conclude its business on 21 December with the adoption of an omnibus resolution and a budget for the Court.