Ban Appoints New STL Appeals Chamber Judge

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appointed a Czech Judge to the Appeals Chamber of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, the court said in a press release on Friday.

Juge Ivana Hrdličková will replace as of mid-January Judge Kjell Erik Björnberg, who is retiring, it said.

The Appeals Chamber has two Lebanese judges and three international judges. The Chamber’s Presiding Judge is Sir David Baragwanath, the STL’s president.

Baragwanath welcomed the appointment, saying Hrdličková's “experience as a Judge in her own domestic system, as an expert on the rule of law, and the perspective she will bring to us will greatly enhance our Appeals Chamber.”

He also thanked Björnberg for his outstanding contribution to the work of the Appeals Chamber, the wisdom he demonstrated, as well as his unwavering dedication to the cause of justice.