War crimes judge Antonio Cassese dies of cancer

War crimes judge Antonio Cassese dies of cancer

2011-10-23 07:09:44 GMT+7 (ICT)

FLORENCE (BNO NEWS) -- Judge Antonio Cassese, who served as president of the United Nations-backed Lebanon and Yugoslavia tribunals, died at his home in Italy on Friday after a long battle with cancer, officials said on Saturday. He was 74.

Cassese was one of the leading figures in international justice, serving as the first president of both the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). He also had a long career in academia.

Cassese, who was born in Italy in 1937, stepped down as president of the STL on October 9 due to his deteriorating health condition as a result of cancer. He was a serving Appeals Chamber judge when he died in Florence on Friday night.

"The tragedy of Nino's departure is beyond words," said Judge Sir David Baragwanath, who was appointed president of the STL after Cassese stepped down. "For members of the Tribunal he was the Maestro, whose towering ability as a jurist and a statesman was equaled by the immense personal warmth and humanity which made him our dear friend."

Baragwanath added: "He was a leader whom it was stimulating and a privilege to serve. He created and was the preeminent figure in modern international criminal law. His family extended across the globe to wherever there was injustice. His vision, intellect, dynamism and courage changed attitudes, institutions and lives."

Besides serving as president of STL and ICTY, Cassese was also appointed chairman of the UN International Commission of Inquiry on Darfur in 2004. He was later also appointed as an Independent Expert to review the judicial efficiency of the Special Court for Sierra Leone.

Throughout his career Cassese worked to curtail extrajudicial killings, as well as to assert individual responsibility for international crimes in domestic and international jurisdictions. "Antonio Cassese has been a master of legal culture and an example of civic engagement, serving the cause of justice, democracy and human rights," Italian President Giorgio Napolitano said.

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