Five judges will decide the South China Sea case.
The arbitration panel for the South China Sea case consists of judges and experts on maritime law and international law, including four Europeans and one Ghanaian.
The Philippines selected Rudiger Wolfrum as a member of the panel of judges, whileChina stubbornly refused to participate in the case, forfeiting its right to choose the judges, forcing the then-president of ITLOS, Shunji Yanai, a Japanese citizen, to choose on China's behalf. (Photo:)PCA See more:The tactic of using citizenship to reject China's South China Sea ruling. " data-reference-id="23892154" src="https://bna.1cdn.vn/2016/07/11/uploaded-dataimages-201607-original-_images1616042_bna_578351d7ebe42.jpg"> |
| After the Philippines filed its case with the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in January 2013, a five-member arbitration panel was established to hear the case. The Philippines and China each had the right to choose one judge, while the President of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) selected three. The Philippines chose Rudiger Wolfrum as a member of the panel, while China insisted on refusing to participate in the case, thus forfeiting its right to choose judges, forcing the then-President of ITLOS, Shunji Yanai, a Japanese citizen, to choose on China's behalf. (Photo: PCA) |
Mr. Mensah served as President of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea from 1996 to 1999. He is currently the Vice President of the International Organization for the Law of the Sea. He chaired the arbitration panel in the South China Sea case. Photo:worldmaritimenews " data-reference-id="23892150" src="https://bna.1cdn.vn/2016/07/11/uploaded-dataimages-201607-original-_images1616045_bna_578351d7ec8f1.jpg"> |
| Judge Thomas A. Mensah, born in 1932 in Ghana, holds a Ph.D. from Yale Law School in the United States. He has taught at various institutions, including the University of Ghana, the World Maritime University in Sweden, Leiden University in the Netherlands, and the University of Hawaii in the United States. He also served as a special advisor on environmental law for a United Nations (UN) program. Judge Mensah served as President of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea from 1996 to 1999. He is currently the Vice President of the International Law Organization (ILO). He chaired the arbitration panel in the South China Sea case. (Image: worldmaritimenews) |
| Judge Jean-Pierre Cot, born in 1937 in Switzerland, is a professor of international law and a judge at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea. He holds a doctorate in law from the Sorbonne University in France and has taught law at the University of Amiens and the University of Paris I. He was a member of the European Parliament from 1978-1979 and 1984-1999. He has been a member of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea since 2002. Photo: MAE Romania |
He has published numerous books and written many articles in scientific journals on international law, maritime law, and international relations in relation to the activities of the United Nations. He has also studied the foreign policies of Japan, the United States, and China. He has been a member of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea since 2005. (Photo: [Image])ITLOS " data-reference-id="23892152" src="https://bna.1cdn.vn/2016/07/11/uploaded-dataimages-201607-original-_images1616044_bna_578351d7ec2e2.jpg"> |
| Judge Stanislaw Pawlak was born in 1933 in Poland. He holds a PhD from the University of Warsaw and has held various positions in the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He has published numerous books and written many articles in academic journals on international law, maritime law, and international relations in relation to the activities of the United Nations. He has also studied the foreign policies of Japan, the United States, and China. He has been a member of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea since 2005. Photo: ITLOS |
| Professor Alred HA Soons, born in 1948, holds a PhD from Utrecht University, Netherlands. He has held numerous positions in the Dutch government and taught international law at Utrecht University. He is currently a member of the Advisory Body of Experts on the Law of the Sea of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC/ABE-LOS) and co-director of the Rhodes Institute for Ocean Law and Policy. Photo: UW Law |
| Judge Rudiger Wolfrum, born in 1941 in Germany, holds a doctorate in international law and previously taught at Heidelberg University. He has been a judge at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea since 1996, and served as its president from 2005 to 2008. Photo: Europa |
According to VNE