HC Deb 15 January 1996 vol 269 c410W
Mr. Wareing

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list, giving their countries of origin and legal background, the names of the judges appointed to serve on the United Nations war crimes tribunal investigating war crimes in the former Yugoslavia. [8651]

Sir Nicholas Bonsor

There are 11 judges in total. Five sit in the appeals chamber. The other six are split into two three-person teams, which preside over the two trial chambers.

Trial chamber 1 consists of:—Judge Elisabeth Odio Benito, Costa Rica, former Minister of Justice in Costa Rica from May 1990;—Judge Claude Jorda, France, former public prosecutor of the Appeals Court in Paris from 1992;—Judge Fouad Riad, Egypt, former vice-president of the Institut de Droit International from 1993.

Trial chamber 2 consists of:—Judge Gabrielle McDonald, USA, former visiting professor of law, St Mary's school of law, San Antonio, Texas from August 1991;—Judge Lal Chand Vohrah, Malaysia, former High court judge;—Judge Rustam S. Sidhwa, Pakistan, former judge of the Supreme Court from 1989 to 1992.

The appeals chamber consists of:—Judge Antonio Cassese, Italy, former president of the Council of Europe Committee for the Prevention of Torture from 1989;—judge Jules Deschenes, Canada, former chairman of the Commission of Inquiry on War Criminals in Canada from 1985–87;—Judge Adolphus G. Karibi-Whyte, Nigeria, former justice to the Supreme Court from 1984; —Judge Haopei Li, China, former arbitrator of the Permanent Court of Arbitration from 1993;—Judge Sir Ninian Stephen, Australia, Governor-General of Australia from 1982–89.