Assembly of State Parties February 3-7, 2003

Election of Judges:  The Assembly elected the first bench of ICC judges by secret ballot during a week-long open and transparent process.  The ICC's newly elected judges are diverse in their gender, their nationality, and their legal specialties, but they all have one thing common: every one of them hails from a free, democratic U.S. ally.  The 18 countries represented on the ICC bench are Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Ireland, Italy, Korea (South), Latvia, Mali, Samoa, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United Kingdom.  All the judges are highly qualified and come from countries that are ranked "free" by the non-profit Freedom House , respect the rule of law, maintain civil liberties, and uphold democratic principles.  The first ICC bench  represents every region of the world and includes the highest percentage of female judges ever to sit at one time on an international court.

• Who Are the Judges?  More about the credentials and diversity of the ICC's first 18 judges

• More about the Assembly of States Parties