Liberian lawyer and Deputy Agriculture Minister, Cllr. Sayma Syrenius Cephus is calling on the Government of Liberia to nominate at least two qualified female Liberian lawyers to the UN General Assembly as candidates to be elected as judges of the UN International Residual Mechanism for Tribunals (IRMCT).
The Liberian lawyer is a certified counsel of the International Criminal Court in The Hague and a member of the Association of Defence Counsel Practicing Before International Criminal Courts and Tribunals (ADC-ICT), also in The Hague.
Cllr. Cephus is among a group of seasoned international lawyers practicing before international courts and tribunals around the world who have voiced out their opposition to the list of solely male candidates for election as judges of the UN International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT).
In a press release issued by the ADC-ICT and sent to its members around the world to circulate, the group notes that the roster of judges at the IRMCT lacks an appropriate gender representation.
The group says the list is predominantly male judges with only five women of the current 22 judges on the bench.It expresses serious regret that the current nominations before the UN General Assembly comprise 11 male candidates, with no female candidate.
The group therefore calls on the General Assembly to restart the nomination process in order to allow female candidates.Highlighting the ADC-ICT position, Cllr. Cephus calls on the Liberian government to add its voice to the new debate for gender balance on the court’s bench by nominating at least two qualified and experienced female courtroom lawyers to the UN General Assembly to be shortlisted for the positions of judges of the IRMCT in The Hague.
Meanwhile, Cllr. Cephus, as senior member of the ADC-ICT has been officially invited to attend this year’s Annual Convention slated for December 8, 2018 in The Hague for the election of its leaders.
Cllr. Cephus’ call is contained in a press release issued recently 7 November in Monrovia.
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The ADC-ICT is an association of some of the most experienced and brilliant legal counsels practicing before all international courts and tribunals around the world. It is headquartered in The Hague, the Netherlands.–Press release
