Uganda’s Justice Solomy Balungi Bossa elected ICC judge

New York, USA | THE INDEPENDENT |  After four rounds of voting in the ongoing judicial election to the International Criminal Court (ICC), Justice Solomy Balungi Bossa has been elected to be a judge at the Hague-based Court.

Japan and Peru’s candidates Tomoko Akane and Bañez Carranza Luz Del Carmen with 88 and 77 votes respectively, were the first to be elected, coming top in round one. Six places are being filled.

Uganda’s Permanent Representative to the UN Adonio Ayebare confirmed the result late Tuesday. “Glad to announce the election of Justice Barungi Bosa of Uganda as Judge of the ICC. Thank you team Uganda,” he tweeted.

After round one, Justice Bossa was third best with 67 votes, and had to go into the next round, which she topped with 71 votes but did not get the minimum 79 votes required. Bossa (81 votes) and Benin’s candidate Alapini-Gansou Reine hit the mark in the 4th round of voting, to join the ICC judges list.

ICC member states had nominated 12 candidates for election to six vacant judicial positions at The Hague-based Court. ICC member states Lesotho, Uganda, Croatia, Mongolia, Benin, Japan, Bosnia, Peru, Uruguay, Canada, Ghana and Italy were nominated

The election of judges at the 16th Assembly of States Parties (ASP) session in New York,  follows the Court’s regular judicial elections process, which replaces a third of the 18 judges’ bench every three years. The new judges will serve a nine-year term from March 2018.

Bossa joins another Ugandan high profile judge on the international stage, Julia Sebutinde who has been on the UN’s International Court of Justice since 2012.

2017: Elections results

Source:  Assembly of States Parties

Who is  Justice Bossa?

The campaign to elevate Justice Solomy Balungi Bossa started in January and was led by President Yoweri Museveni is in Addis Ababa at the 28th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU).

Justice Bossa’s name was submitted to the AU Commission for an early consideration to allow her adequate time to campaign. Justice Bossa is competing with two other candidates from Lesotho and Benin. (Who is Justice Bossa?)

According to African-court.org, She is a highly accomplished judge with over 27 years of legal and judicial work experience at national, regional and international level.  She has considerable exposure and experience in international judicial practice, international human rights, international humanitarian law, international criminal law and constitutional law.

She was elected Judge of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights in June 2014, for a term of six years.

Bossa has served as Judge with the High Court or Uganda for sixteen years (1997-2013). The East African Court of Justice for five years (2001-2006), United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (UNICTR) for nine and half years (2003-2013) and currently serves as Judge on the Court of Appeal/Constitutional Court for Uganda.

VIDEO: Bossa rated highly

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