ICC panel finds Miriam qualified

MANILA, Philippines - The Independent Panel on International Criminal Court Judicial Elections has found Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago qualified to be a judge of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario welcomed the finding of the independent panel issued last Oct. 26, saying it reinforces Philippine efforts to be part of the international tribunal.

“The finding of the Independent Panel validates the confidence the Philippine Government has placed on the excellent qualifications and outstanding character of our candidate, Professor Dr. Miriam Defensor-Santiago,” del Rosario said.

“We welcome this very significant finding by the Independent Panel. It reinforces our efforts to be a part of this very important and historic international tribunal,” he added.

The Independent Panel was established by the Coalition for the International Criminal Court (CICC) in December 2010, the purpose of which is to encourage States-Parties to nominate the most qualified candidates to be judges of the ICC.

The CICC is composed of 2,500 civil society organizations in 150 different countries working in partnership to strengthen international cooperation with the ICC.

The Independent Panel consists of experts in international law, international criminal law and procedure, humanitarian law and human rights law.

It is composed of the following:

Justice Richard Goldstone, former Chief Prosecutor of the UN International Criminal Tribunals for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia as chair;

Patricia Wald, former Chief Judge of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia and former Judge of the UN International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia;

Hans Corell, former Judge of Appeal and former Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and the Legal Counsel of the United Nations;

Judge O-Gon Kwon, Judge and vice president of the UN International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and former Presiding Judge at the Daegu High Court; and

Dr. Cecilia Medina Quiroga, director of the Human Rights Centre at the University of Chile and former judge and president of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.

Santiago, a former trial court judge and expert in international law, is one of 19 candidates vying for six vacant seats in the ICC.

Based on the requirement for geographic representation, one of the six seats is reserved for Asia. Another representative from Asia is competing for the seat. The candidate, however, is not among those declared by the Panel as “qualified.”

“We see the ICC as playing a significant role in ending impunity, preventing crimes against humanity and in strengthening international peace and security. The Philippines wishes to contribute to the work of the ICC and has launched the candidature of Dr. Santiago with this topmost in our minds,” del Rosario said.