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Reine Alapini-Gansou

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Reine Alapini-Gansou
Second Vice-President of the International Criminal Court
Assumed office
11 March 2024
Preceded byAntoine Kesia-Mbe Mindua
Judge of the International Criminal Court
Assumed office
11 March 2018
Nominated byBenin
Appointed byAssembly of States Parties
Personal details
Born (1956-08-11) 11 August 1956 (age 68)
Abidjan, Ivory Coast
NationalityBenin
OccupationJudge

Reine Adélaïde Sophie Alapini-Gansou (born 11 August 1956) is a Beninese jurist who has been a judge of the International Criminal Court since March 2018.

Early life and education

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Alapini-Gansou was born in Abidjan in Ivory Coast on August 11, 1956.[1] She has a degree in Common Law from the University of Lyon in France and a master's degree in Business Law and Judicial lCareers from the National University of Benin.[2] She also has a joint postgraduate degree from the Universities of Maastricht, Lomé and Bhutan.[2]

Career

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Alapini-Gansou was admitted to the Benin Bar in 1986.[2] She worked for Avocats Sans Frontières Belgium on the project "Justice for all in Rwanda" in 2001.[2] She has taught General Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure at the University of Abomey-Calavi since 2001[1] and has authored a number of research papers in human rights and law.[3] She was a member of the Benin Women Lawyers Association and initiated several laws protecting women in Benin.[1]

Alapini-Gansou was an intern for the International Conference of Bars in Paris in 1988 and a trainee of the International Organization for Development Law in Rome from 2000 to 2002.[1] As a member of the Working Group on the Rights of Older Persons and with the African Commission since 2007, she took part in developing a Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Older Persons in Africa, and a Protocol to the African Charter Human and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Africa.[1] In 2008, she was a consultant for the World Health Organization for the drafting of a bill to promote and protect the human rights of mentally ill.[1] She has also been a consultant for the International Labor Office on human rights for mentally ill people and people living with HIV in the workplace.[1] She was appointed a member of the United Nations International Mission of Inquiry on electoral violence in the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire from May to June 2011.[1] She was also Head of the Human Rights Component of the Mission African International Support Mali from April 2013 to October 2014.[1] Alapini-Gansou was a member of several United Nations commissions into human rights violations. In 2011, she was appointed as judge at the Permanent Court of Arbitration.[2]

Alapini-Gansou was a member of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights for twelve years, including working as Special Rapporteur from 2005-2009 and 2012-2017,[4] and chairing the Commission from 2009 until 2012.[2][5] She trained French-speaking lawyers on proceedings before the International Criminal Court starting 2012.[1] She initiated the referral of human rights violations perpetrated in Libya in 2010 to the African Court of Human Rights and Peoples[1] As Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders in In Africa, she conducted studies on women defenders in Africa and on freedom of association in Africa.[1] In September 2016, she was appointed by the Secretary General of the United Nations as a member of the Commission of Inquiry into Human Rights Violations in Burundi.[1]

Alapini-Gansou was appointed to the International Criminal Court in December 2017, commencing her term on 11 March 2018.[3]

On 13 November 2024, a court in Russia ordered the arrest of Alapini-Gansou. She had previously issued arrest warrants against South Ossetian officials aligned with Russia during the Russo-Georgian War.[6]

Awards and honours

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  • Laureate of the Prize of Human Rights for the Fiftieth year of African Countries independence by the French Academy of Sciences, Sorbonne, 2010[3]
  • 25th Anniversary Award of the African Commission on Human rights for contributions to the service of human rights for Africa, October 2012[1]
  • Distinction for contributions to the fight against discrimination based on sexual orientation, UNAIDS, 2014[1]

Publications

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  • "From article 64 to article 122-1 of the Penal Code: a reform halfway", Annual Review of African Mental Health Assistance "African Realities" 1999 *"Pathological Psychological Aspects of Rape in Africa: The Case of Benin and Congo"
  • "Violence against women: the interest of setting up a cell of medico-psycho-legal care", Benin Médical N ° 39 / 40-2008
  • "Benin's code of people and family at the test of the application" 2012
  • "State responsibility for sexual violence in Africa", 2016;
  • "Adoption in Benin, between law and culture", congress on mental health, November 2016
  • "The legislator and the African judge in the success of the mission of the Court International Criminal, 2017[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "Alapini-Gansou, Reine (Benin)" (PDF) (in French). International Criminal Court.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Judge Reine Alapini-Gansou". International Criminal Court.
  3. ^ a b c Oteng, Eric (7 December 2017). "Female judges from Benin and Uganda join ICC". Africa News. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
  4. ^ "Ms Reine Alapini-Gansou, African Commission Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders, presents her mandate". International Service for Human Rights. 7 April 2016. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
  5. ^ "Reine Alapini-Gansou, Benin". Human Rights Watch. 15 May 2014. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
  6. ^ "Russia Arrests ICC Judge Mahfoudh in Absentia – Mediazona". The Kyiv Independent. 2024-11-13. Retrieved 2024-11-13.