Following the solemn undertaking of six newly elected judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on 10 March 2015 and the Presidency’s election on 11 March 2015, the Presidency of the Court has now assigned the judges to the three judicial Divisions. The Presidency also constituted the different Chambers and assigned the respective situations and cases currently before the Court to these Chambers.
The Appeals Division is constituted of Judges Silvia Alejandra Fernández De Gurmendi (Argentina), Sanji Mmasenono Monageng (Botswana), Christine Van Den Wyngaert (Belgium), Howard Morrison (United Kingdom) and Piotr Hofmański (Poland).
The Trial Division is constituted of Judges Joyce Aluoch (Kenya), Kuniko Ozaki (Japan), Olga Venecia Del C. Herrera Carbuccia (Dominican Republic), Robert Fremr (Czech Republic), Chile Eboe-Osuji (Nigeria), Geoffrey A. Henderson (Trinidad and Tobago) and Bertram Schmitt (Germany).
The Pre-Trial Division is constituted of Judges Cuno Tarfusser (Italy), Marc Perrin De Brichambaut (France), Antoine Kesia-Mbe Mindua (Democratic Republic of the Congo), Péter Kovács (Hungary) and Chang-ho Chung (Republic of Korea).
The situations in Côte d’Ivoire, Libya, Mali and the Situation on Registered Vessels of the Union of the Comoros, the Hellenic Republic and the Kingdom of Cambodia are assigned to Pre-Trial Chamber I, composed of Judges Joyce Aluoch, Cuno Tarfusser and Péter Kovács.
The situations in Central African Republic I, Central African Republic II, Darfur; Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya and Uganda are assigned to Pre-Trial Chamber II, composed of Judges Cuno Tarfusser, Marc Perrin de Brichambaut and Chang-ho Chung.
In addition, the Presidency recomposed Trial Chambers as follows:
· Trial Chamber I
The Prosecutor v. Laurent Gbagbo and Charles Blé Goudé
Judge Olga Herrera Carbuccia
Judge Geoffrey A. Henderson
Judge Bertram Schmitt
· Trial Chamber II
The Prosecutor v. Germain Katanga
The Prosecutor v. Thomas Lubanga Dyilo
Judge Olga Herrera Carbuccia
Judge Marc Perrin de Brichambaut
Judge Peter Kovacs
· Trial Chamber III
The Prosecutor v. Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo
Judge Sylvia Steiner, Presiding Judge
Judge Joyce Aluoch
Judge Kuniko Ozaki
· Trial Chamber IV
The Prosecutor v. Abdallah Banda Abakaer Nourain
Judge Joyce Aluoch
Judge Chile Eboe-Osuji
Judge Geoffrey A. Henderson
· Trial Chamber V(A)
The Prosecutor v. William Samoei Ruto and Joshua Arap Sang
Judge Chile Eboe-Osuji, Presiding Judge
Judge Olga Herrera Carbuccia
Judge Robert Fremr
· Trial Chamber V(B)
The Prosecutor v. Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta
Judge Kuniko Ozaki, Presiding Judge
Judge Robert Fremr
Judge Geoffrey A. Henderson
· Trial Chamber VI
The Prosecutor v. Bosco Ntaganda
Judge Kuniko Ozaki
Judge Robert Fremr
Judge Chang-ho Chung
· Trial Chamber VII
The Prosecutor v. Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo, Aimé Kilolo Musamba, Jean-Jacques Mangenda Kabongo, Fidèle Babala Wandu and Narcisse Arido
Judge Olga Herrera Carbuccia
Judge Chile Eboe-Osuji
Judge Bertram Schmitt
Each Division will soon elect a President of the respective Division from amongst its members and each newly composed Pre-Trial and Trial Chamber will elect a Presiding judge. The Appeals Chamber decides on a Presiding Judge for each appeal.
According to article 39(1) of the Rome Statute, the assignment of judges to Divisions by the Presidency is based on the nature of the functions be performed by each Division and the qualifications and experience of the elected judges, so that each Division contains an appropriate combination of expertise in criminal law and procedure and in international law. The judges are assigned for three years, and thereafter until the completion of any case. The judges assigned to the Appeals Division serve exclusively in the Appeals Division for their entire term.
