PUBLISHED:November 25, 2008

Visiting Distinguished Professor John Dugard nominated to serve as a judge on the International Criminal Court

Nov. 25, 2008 — Visiting Distinguished Professor John Dugard was nominated by his home country of South Africa to serve as a judge on the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. Representatives of the ICC’s 108 member states will vote in January to elect six judges to serve nine-year terms on the court.

The ICC is a forum for trials of those accused of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes.

Dugard, renowned for his work on human rights and international law, especially in the last decades of apartheid in South Africa, has extensive international legal experience. He has served as a judge ad hoc in two cases before the International Court of Justice, and was the first South African elected to the United Nations International Law Commission.

Ralf Michaels, director of Duke’s Center for International and Comparative Law, says the ICC “is finally in the news for the role it was always supposed to play: to prosecute and deter criminals.

“The Court has cleared the way for the trial against Congolese militiaman Thomas Lubanga. The potential of prosecution is said to be a main reason why President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan has announced, at last, a cease-fire in Darfur. Such a court needs excellent lawyers, and we at Duke are excited and proud that John Dugard is being suggested for the position. John has a long and prominent track record in international law, and he has proven that he, like any good judge, will not compromise his view of what the law says in the view of political pressure.”

Dugard will speak to Duke’s Global Law Workshop about the legal status of advisory opinions at 4:30 p.m, Monday, Dec. 1 in room 4042. A reception will follow.