Judges & Commissioners
JUDGES OF THE KUALA LUMPUR WAR CRIMES TRIBUNAL
1. Tunku Sofiah Jewa
Tunku Sofiah Jewa was called to the English Bar at the Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn in 1970. She graduated from the University of Miami with the LLM in 1973 and the PhD in 1976. Her areas of speciality for the doctoral degree were International Law, Ocean Law and International Relations. Upon completion of her studies in the United States, she served for six years as a faculty member at the Faculty of Law of the University of Malaya where she taught Public International Law before venturing into private practice. On a number of occasions, she had been invited to speak on the Laws of Warfare as a guest lecturer at the Malaysian Military Staff College. She sits as an external examiner at the University of Malaya and an external assessor at both the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and the International Islamic University. A Trustee of KLFCW, she is currently the managing partner of a small-sized family legal firm. She is the author of, among others, Public International Law – a Malaysian Perspective and The Third World and International Law.
2. Mr Francis A. Boyle
Francis A. Boyle is a leading American professor, practitioner and advocate of international law. He was responsible for drafting the Biological Weapons Anti-Terrorism Act of 1989, the American implementing legislation for the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention. He served on the Board of Directors of Amnesty International (1988-1992), and represented Bosnia-Herzegovina at the World Court. He served as Legal Advisor to the Palestinian Delegation to the Middle East Peace Negotiations (1991-1993), and continues to serve as sometime Legal Advisor to the Provisional Government of the State of Palestine. Professor Boyle teaches international law at the University of Illinois, Champaign, author of, inter alia, World Politics and International Law, The Future of International Law and American Foreign Policy, Foundations of World Order, The Bosnian People Charge Genocide, The Criminality of Nuclear Deterrence, Palestine, Palestinians and International Law, Destroying World Order, Biowarfare & Terrorism and Breaking All The Rules. He holds a Doctor of Law Magna Cum Laude as well as a Ph.D. in Political Science, both from Harvard University.
3. Prof Salleh Buang
Prof Salleh Buang, a Barrister-at-law from Lincoln’s Inn, England, formerly served as a Federal Counsel in the Attorney-General’s Chambers, Kuala Lumpur before he left for private legal practice, the corporate sector and finally academia. He was the Deputy Dean of the Kulliyyah of Laws, International Islamic University, Petaling Jaya from 1984 to 1989. A full-time freelance consultant, his services had been sought frequently by both the public as well as the private sectors. Author of more than 25 books and monographs on various legal topics, he now writes regularly for his weekly column in “Property Times”. A Trustee of KLFCW, he is currently a Visiting Professor in Land Law at the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor Bahru.
4. Prof Niloufer Bhagwat
Prof Niloufer Bhagwat graduated in economics, obtaining a law degree from the Government Law College Mumbai (Bombay) and the LL.M degree from the University of Mumbai in Constitutional Law, Administrative Law and International Law (Bombay), enrolling thereafter at the Mumbai Bar.
Awarded the Philip Jessup Award of the American Society of International Law at Washington (1973). Appointed Fellow and thereafter Professor at the Sidhharth College of Law and as Professor of Comparative Constitutional Law for post graduate classes at the University of Mumbai (Bombay).
Appeared in Constitutional Cases of importance at the Supreme Court and Mumbai High Court and before Commissions of Inquiry.
Vice President of the Indian Association of Lawyers (New Delhi) affiliated to the International Association of Democratic Lawyers .Represented the International Association of Democratic Lawyers in International commissions. Contributed several published papers in national and international journals and at national and International conferences. Judge at the International Criminal Tribunal on Afghanistan at Tokyo established by Japanese jurists and lawyers in 2003.
5. Mr Alfred L Webre
Alfred Lambremont Webre, JD, MEd, is a graduate of Yale University and Yale Law School in international law, and was a Yale Law School National Scholar. Alfred was a Fulbright Scholar (Uruguay) in international economic integration. He has taught taxation at Yale University (Economics Department) and civil liberties at the University of Texas (Government Department). Alfred was general counsel to the New York City Environmental Protection Administration, and a United Nations NGO delegate. He is co-author of the Space Preservation Treaty banning weapons and warfare in space, and is author of Exopolitics: Politics, Government and Law in the Universe.
6. Prof Emeritus Datuk Dr Shad Saleem Faruqi
Prof Emeritus Datuk Dr Shad Saleem Faruqi is Professor of Law at the Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia and holds a BA, LLB (Hons), LLM (Hons) and PhD. Professor Faruqi taught at the International Islamic University for several years prior to his current position as a consultant to Institut Teknologi MARA (ITM). A first class honours student at both undergraduate and masters levels, Professor Faruqi is a prominent academic, having written on a host of subjects. He is an expert in constitutional and administrative law and in jurisprudence. He has also been involved in international consultancies for the Maldives, the Philippines and Cambodia.
7. Dato’ Abdul Kadir Sulaiman
A retired Malaysian Federal Court judge, His Excellency Dato’ Abdul Kadir Sulaiman is a member of the Council of Regency (Ahli Majlis Penasihat Pemangku Raja) of the State of Terengganu. A founding Trustee of the KLFCW, His Excellency is also the Deputy Chairman and the Honorary Treasurer of the Foundation and is the current President of the Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Tribunal.
MEMBERS OF THE KUALA LUMPUR WAR CRIMES COMMISSION
1. Mr Zainur Zakaria
En Zainur Zakaria graduated from the Gray’s Inn of London as a Barrister. He has been in active practice of law as a litigation lawyer for 34 years. He runs his own law firm. Mr Zainur was elected as the President of the Bar Council from 1993 to 1995.
2. Prof Hans- Christof von Sponek
Studied modern history at the Universities of Tuebingen and Bonn in Germany; holds degrees in Demography and Physical Anthropology from US universities including an MA degree from Washington State University. Coming from the German civil service, he joined the United Nations in 1968 where he held increasingly senior positions including those of UN Resident Coordinator in Botswana, Pakistan and India. He completed his 32 years of UN tenure in 2000 as a UN Assistant Secretary General responsible for humanitarian operations in Iraq. He is currently teaching at the Conflict Research Centre of the University of Marburg in Germany and holds a number of board appointments with organisations in Sweden, Switzerland, Canada and Germany and is a member of the World Future Council. He has published a few books in English, Arabic, German and Spanish on politics in the Middle East.
3. Mr Denis J. Halladay
Denis J. Halliday (Ireland) worked for the United Nations for 34 years. As a UNDP officer he served in Iran, Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, Indonesia, the South Pacific and was the Regional Representative in Thailand.\
In New York, for three years Halliday was Assistant Secretary-General for Human Resources Management under Secretary-General Boutros Boutros Ghali.
In 1997, Volunteering for head of the UN Humanitarian Programme in Iraq, Halliday pushed the Security Council to incease the Programme to 10 Billion gross per annum. Rather than be complicit in the killing of Iraqi children due to UN sanctions, Halliday resigned to speak publicly worldwide against the use of sanctions. Today in 2009, Halliday works with some 15 NGOs on peace and anti-war issues. In 2000-01, Halliday was nominated for the Noble Peace prize, and given an honorary PhD and the Gandhi Peace award.
4. Mr Musa Ismail
Mr Musa Bin Ismail holds a Bachelor of Arts (History) from University of Malaya in 1973 and a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) from the University of Malaya in 1981. Mr Musa served as a Magistrate for four (4) years in Kuantan, Klang, Banting nad Kajang until 1983. Called to the Bar on 10th January 1987, he has been in legal practice until today.
5. Prof Gurdial Singh Nijar
Prof Gurdial Njiar obtained tertiary qualification in law in King College, London and the University of Malaya. He is Barrister-at-Law, Middle Temple and a registered Advocate and Solicitor in Victoria New South Wales, Australia. He specializes in professional proactive and his current research interest includes many aspects of biodiversity law. He is professor at Law faculty and an action member of the centre for Biodiversity Law. Gurdial Nijar has represented Malaysia and the legal profession and numerous international forums and meetings. He has published several books covering civil trial advocacy, indigenous peoples knowledge systems and drafting for lawyers.
6. Dr Zulaiha Ismail
Zulaiha has a doctorate in Human Resource Development from the George Washington University, USA. Before her retirement, she was Professor and Dean of the Centre for Graduate Studies Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) and has been involved in several graduate executive business programs in Malaysia and USA. She has contributed her expertise to the Smart Partnership International Dialogues, a model for international collaboration and continues to work directly with NGO’s in Lebanon, specifically on the plight of Palestinian refugee camps there. She is also the Hon. Secretary of the Perdana Global Peace Organization.
7. Prof Dr Mohd. Akram Shair Mohamed
Prof Akram, LL.B (London), LL.M (London), Diploma International Law (Hague), M.Phil. (London), Barrister-at-Law, Advocate & Solicitor (Malaya), PhD (IIUM) is from the Public Law Department of the International Islamic University Malaysia. He is currently the Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University where he specialises in the Law of Evidence and sub-specialises in the Law of Confession. In 2002, he presented a paper entitled “Nature of International Humanitarian Law’ at a workshop in the International Humanitarian Law in Geneva. In the same year he presented “The Way Forward” at another workshop on Exploring International Humanitarian Law organised by the Ministry of Education Malaysia in association with the International Committee of the Red Cross.