Bertram Schmitt (born September 9, 1958) is a German jurist. He was a judge at the Bundesgerichtshof and a judge of the International Criminal Court from 2015 to 2024.
Bertram Schmitt | |
---|---|
Judge of the International Criminal Court | |
Assumed office 11 March 2015 | |
Nominated by | Germany |
Preceded by | Hans-Peter Kaul |
Personal details | |
Born | Dieburg, Hesse, West Germany (now Germany) | 9 September 1958
Alma mater | Goethe University Frankfurt |
Career
editEarly career
editBetween 2005 and 2015, Schmitt served as judge at the Federal Court of Justice (BGH), Germany's supreme court for civil and criminal matters.
In 2009, Schmitt was appointed as an ad-hoc judge at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). From 2009, he represented Germany on the Eurojust Joint Supervisory Body in The Hague.
Since 2000, Schmitt has been an adjunct professor for criminal law, criminal procedure and criminology at the University of Würzburg. He is one of two authors of the standard German commentary on criminal procedure,[1] which includes the annotation of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECtHR). In 2010, he unsuccessfully ran against Angelika Nußberger in the election to succeed Renate Jaeger as the judge representing Germany at the European Court of Human Rights.[2]
Judge of the International Criminal Court, 2015-present
editIn December 2014, Schmitt was proposed as a judge at the International Criminal Court by the German government.[3] On December 10, 2014, he was elected in the sixth ballot[4] and assumed office on March 11, 2015.[5] He served in the trial division of the court. His term ended in March 2024.
In his capacity as judge on the Trial Chamber VII, Schmitt in 2017 added a year to Jean-Pierre Bemba's 18-year jail term following his conviction for attempting to bribe witnesses during his war crimes trial.[6]
In September 2023, Russia issued an arrest warrant for Schmitt on unspecified charges, allegedly in retaliation for the ICC having issued a warrant against President Vladimir Putin.[7]
References
edit- ^ Lutz Meyer-Goßner / Bertram Schmitt: Strafprozessordnung: StPO - Gerichtsverfassungsgesetz, Nebengesetze und ergänzende Bestimmungen, 58. Auflage 2015, ISBN 978-3-406-67500-3.
- ^ "Election of a judge to the European Court of Human Rights in respect of Germany" (PDF). Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. 22 April 2010. Retrieved 21 December 2010.
- ^ Nominations Archived 2014-08-21 at the Wayback Machine. Assembly of States Parties. Last seen May 7, 2014.
- ^ 2014 - Election of six judges - Results Archived 2015-06-26 at the Wayback Machine. Assembly of States Parties. Last seen December 13, 2014.
- ^ Judge Schmitt Archived April 2, 2015, at the Wayback Machine. International Criminal Court. Last seen March 28, 2015.
- ^ ICC gives Jean-Pierre Bemba extra year in prison Al Jazeera, March 22, 2017.
- ^ Chiappa, Claudia (25 September 2023). "Russia puts international court's top leadership on wanted list". Politico.