S. Leone: New judge appointed for UN Court

  1. Posted on Monday 4 May 2009 - 14:46
    Murtala
    Image of Murtala
    Murtala Mohamed Kamara, AfricaNews reporter in Freetown, Sierra Leone
    The Special Court for Sierra Leone has sworn in Justice Avis Shireen Fisher, a reckoned international judge and legal scholar. Fisher succeeds Raja A. Fernando who passed away last November.
    Judge fisher
    The Special Court for Sierra Leone was set by an agreement between the government of Sierra Leone and the United Nations to try those that bear the greatest responsibilities in the Sierra Leone civil conflict after the signing of the Lome Peace Accord on the 30th November 1996.

    Fisher, a US citizen was appointed by the UN Secretary General to serve as the court’s new appeals judge. Prior to her appointment Fisher has served from 2005 to 2008 as an international judge of the war crimes chamber in the court of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

    According to the Special Court, the cases adjudicated by Fisher at the Bosnia war crimes chamber included conviction for sexual slavery and other crimes against humanity, war crimes and notably the first convictions for the commission of war crimes at Srebrenica.

    Fisher also develops the court rules for victims and witness protection in the courtroom. She currently serves as the Commissioner on the Kosovo Independent Judicial and Prosecutorial Commission.

    Since 1986 she has also served as general jurisdiction Trial Court (criminal, civil and family courts) in the US state of Vermont, with a particular focus on juvenile cases.

    Fisher received her Juris Doctor from the Columbus school of Law, Catholic University of America in 1976 and an LLM in International Human Rights Law from the University College London in 2001. She anticipates receiving her Ph.D in international Law from the University College London in 2009.

    Fisher has written and lectured in international law extensively.

    The Sierra Leone Attorney General and minister of Justice Abdul Serry Kamal and the UN Executive Representative of the Secretary General (ERSG) Micheal V. Sculunberg signed the declaration after Fisher’s subscription to the judicial oath.

    The Special Court has tried and convicted nine members of various warring faction excluding Liberia’s former President Charles Taylor who is also standing trial on 11 counts for his alleged role in the Sierra Lone civil war. His trial was transferred to The Hague citing security reasons in the region.

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