British lawyer Dapo Akande elected to UN international court

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 4 Nov, 12:22 · Archive

Dapo Akande, a British lawyer, has been elected to the international court of justice for a nine-year term.

Dapo Akande, a professor of public international law and fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, has been elected to the international court of justice. He will serve as one of the court's 15 judges for a minimum nine-year term. Originally qualified as a lawyer in Nigeria, Akande is an elected member of the UN International Law Commission and has acted as counsel, adviser and expert in cases before international courts and tribunals.

This election represents the first time Britain has had a judge on the court in almost a decade. In 2017, Sir Christopher Greenwood lost his seat to an Indian rival unexpectedly, leaving Britain without representation. Akande said he was 'deeply honoured' by his election and pledged to serve 'with independence and to deciding cases on the basis of a faithful and impartial application of the law'.

The Daily Mail reports that Akande represented Zambia in a 2018 case about the Chagos Islands at the ICJ, arguing the matter concerned 'international law obligations regarding decolonisation'. The same year, the paper states, he provided then Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn with legal advice that UK air strikes against the Assad regime in Syria were against international law.

How it is being reported

• Burnham hails UK lawyer who backed Chagos Islands giveaway and advised Corbyn Syria strikes were illegal as he is made a judge on international courtProfessor Dapo Akande will be the first UK judge on the UN body for the first time in almost a decade, following a key election.Daily Mail · 4 Nov, 11:57
• British lawyer Dapo Akande elected to UN top court in big diplomatic winAkande serving at international court of justice comes a decade after previous British judge failed to get re-elected A British judge has been elected on to the UN’s international court of justice, in a big British diplomatic victory that comes almost 10 years after a previous British judge failed to get re-elected. Dapo Akande will now serve as one of the ICJ’s 15 judges for a minimum nine-year term. Continue reading...The Guardian · 3 Nov, 21:09

In this story: Dapo Akande · International Court of Justice · United Kingdom · All Souls College, Oxford · Christopher Greenwood

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