In the picture Andres Parmas, newly elected Board of Directors of the Trust Fund for Victims.
On the 8 April 2021, the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court elected Mr Andres Parmas from Estonia to the Board of Directors of the Trust Fund for Victims (TFV). He was nominated by consensus by the Eastern European group of States Parties. Mr Parmas will continue the term of office of Mr Gocha Lordkipanidze, who was sworn in as a Judge at the International Criminal Court on 10 March 2020.
Following his election to the TFV Board, Mr Parmas stated “Reparations and assistance to victims must go alongside the prosecution of those responsible for the commission of serious crimes – only this gives true meaning to international criminal law. Therefore, we must strive still for an even stronger and more capable organisation to carry out this task. It is the responsibility of the whole international community to offer meaningful support and relief to people, who have been victimised through grave and systemic crimes. The Trust Fund for Victims is the body best equipped to serve this purpose and I humbly offer my service to help the Trust Fund in its endeavour”.
TFV Board Chair, Ms Mama Koité Doumbia welcomed the election of the Assembly and said, “We are honoured to have Mr Parmas join the TFV Board of Directors. His experience as Prosecutor General of Estonia and his extensive background and work in the field of criminal justice will be a tremendous asset to the work of the Trust Fund for Victims. I and all the Board look forward to working with Mr Parmas to advance the rights of victims of the worst crimes under the jurisdiction of the ICC and to give them a voice and the justice they so greatly deserve”.
TFV Executive Director Pieter de Baan welcomed the election of Mr Parmas, saying “I am already greatly encouraged by the active interest Mr Parmas is demonstrating in the activities of the Fund, and in particular of the Secretariat. We look forward to have the benefit from his legal expertise and organisational insight”.
The Ambassador of the Republic of Estonia to the Netherlands, H.E. Mrs. Kaili Terras said, “I am very proud that Mr. Parmas was elected as the new member of the Board of Directors of the Trust Fund for Victims representing the Eastern European Group. His legal and leadership experiences and his dedication to work hard and make the voices of the victims of atrocity crimes and genocide heard and to serve them justice will add an important value to the TFV”.
Mr Parmas is currently Prosecutor General of Estonia. He has served as a Judge in the Kosovo Special Chambers and as a Judge in the Criminal Chambers of the Tallinn Circuit Court. He is a Lecturer of criminal law at the University of Taartu and has published numerous academic papers. Mr Parmas is from Estonia and represents the Eastern European group of States Parties in the TFV Board.
Board of Directors of the Trust Fund for Victims (2018 – 2021):
- Mama Koité Doumbia (Mali, African States) – Chair;
- Baroness Arminka Helić (United Kingdom, Western European and Other States);
- Sheikh Mohammed Belal (Bangladesh, Asian States);
- Minou Tavárez Mirabal (Dominican Republic, Latin American and Caribbean States);
- Andres Parmas (Estonia, Eastern European States).
