Legal Panel
Meet the members of the Panel of Judges and Prosecutors
Zak Yakoob
Yacoob was born in Durban in 1948. He comes from a family of Indian origin . At the age of 16 months he contracted meningitis and lost his sight. He received his schooling between 1956 and 1966 at the Arthur Blaxall School for the Blind in his home town of Durban. He then began studying at the University of Durban-Westville , where he was awarded a Bachelor of Arts in English and private law in 1969. This was followed by two years of study at the same university, from which he completed a Bachelor of Laws in 1972. Even at university he was politically active and took part in the first elections of a student representative body. He then began his practical training as a lawyer and was admitted to the bar on 12 March 1973. He practiced this activity until 1998. During this time he took part in numerous political trials. In 1984, for example, he represented a group of anti-apartheid protesters known as the Durban Six , who had occupied the British consulate in Durban to protest against the discrimination against blacks in South Africa. [1] On their behalf, he negotiated with the British government and spoke before the United Nations in New York . Yacoob was also part of the defense team in the Delmas Treason Trial against 22 members of the United Democratic Front (UDF) between 1985 and 1988. In 1990 and 1991, he also defended several high-ranking members of the ANC in the Vula Trial .
CloseStephen Rapp
Rapp has been a lawyer in private practice, a Democratic member of the Iowa House of Representatives,[1] and a staff director and counsel for the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. Rapp ran for the U.S. House of Representatives for Iowa's 3rd congressional district twice, losing to Charles Grassley. From 1993 to 2001, Rapp was the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa. In 2001, he joined the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, where he led the prosecution in the "media trial" against the leaders of the RTLM radio station and Kangura newspaper for inciting the Rwandan genocide of 1994. He became the chief of prosecutions of the ICTR in 2005, and continued to assist chief prosecutor Hassan Jallow in prosecuting those involved in the 1994 genocide. In 2007, Rapp succeeded Desmond de Silva to become the third chief prosecutor of the Special Court for Sierra Leone, where he directed the prosecution of former Liberian President Charles Taylor and others alleged to have violated international criminal law during the Sierra Leone Civil War.
ClosePriya Pillai
Priya Pillai is a lawyer and international law consultant. She holds a PhD in international law and transitional justice from the Graduate Institute, Geneva; an LL.M from New York University; and a B.A./LL.B. (Hons.) degree from the National Law School of India University, Bangalore. Priya has been involved in different aspects of peace processes and transitional justice initiatives in South and South-East Asia, and she also writes and advocates on these issues regularly. She consults on international law for organizations such as Amnesty International, WHO and the IFRC.
CloseDavid Akerson
David Akerson is an attorney and computer geek who has specialized in human rights and atrocity investigations for over thirty years. He served as staff attorney for Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) in South Africa, a prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, the Chief of Evidence for the International Tribunal for Rwanda, a law professor at the University of Denver College of Law (DU), a senior advisor at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, a senior legal advisor at The Commission for International Justice and a senior technology and workflow advisor for the United Nations Investigative Team for the Accountability of Da’esh (ISIS). He is currently the CEO of AuriScrib, a startup that is developing an app for investigative interviews.
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Prosecutor at International Crimes Tribunal, Lawyer, Legal Researcher, columnist and blogger. Bar-at-Law from Lincoln's Inn. IHL specialist.
CloseDrew White KC
Drew White's remarkable impact on international law and human rights advocacy is a testament to his unwavering commitment to justice and his global influence. He dedicated over a decade to prosecuting trials at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, playing a pivotal role in convicting Colonel Theoneste Bagosora, a key figure in the 1994 Rwandan genocide. His meticulous examination of witnesses and presentation of evidence ensured the truth was heard and justice served. Beyond the courtroom, White's written advocacy and work in documenting evidence and addressing legal challenges have set crucial precedents in international criminal law. His human rights investigations in conflict zones like Libya, Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan have exposed abuses and advanced the cause of justice worldwide. In Canada, his exemplary legal standing led to his appointment as Queen's Counsel in 2019.
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