Georgian Deputy Justice Minister becomes first Georgian elected to ICC Trust Fund for Victims’ board

Georgian Deputy Minister of Justice Gocha Lortkipanidze has become the first Georgian to be  unanimously elected today to represent Eastern Europe in the Trust Fund for Victims of the International Criminal Court (ICC) headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands.

The fund is composed of five members tasked with responding to the harm resulting from crimes under the jurisdiction of the ICC by upholding the rights of victims and their families through the provision of reparations and assistance, ICC says.

The representatives of all 123 ICC member countries voted for Lortkipanidze’s election to the position for two years.

Gocha Lortkipanidze was elected unanimously to the position. Photo: Justice Ministry press office. 

Georgian Justice Minister Thea Tsulukiani stated at a special briefing today that the election of Lortkipanidze, who was involved in the creation of ICC in 1990s and early 2000s, carries a significance for Georgia and many other countries.

The election of Lortkipanidze to the fund provides an opportunity for Georgia to direct the fund’s attention to the issues which are significant for Georgia and many other countries.

This is particularly important when it comes to the ICC prosecutor’s investigation of the Russia-Georgia 2008 war. The protection of victims and restoration of their rights is the top priority for the Georgian government,” Tsulukiani said.

Lortkipanidze will replace Alma Taso-Deljkovic, from Bosnia Herzegovina, in the role.

• Lortkipanidze, 54, has both a Georgian and foreign education. He is a graduate of Essex University, Harvard School of Law, and Fordham University School of Law.
• He has engaged in diplomatic activities since the 1990s.
• He was invited to Columbia University between 2007 and 2010 as a researcher. He was an adjunct professor of the university between 2010 and 2013. In 2013 he was appointed as Deputy Foreign Minister of Georgia.
• Between 1999 and 2003 Lortkipanidze served as legal counsel on international treaty issues, international organizations and human rights, and administrative issues.
• He represented Georgia in the Third (human rights) and Sixth (legal) committees and Preparatory Commission on establishment of the International Criminal Court.
• He also participated in the multilateral negotiations on the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism, the Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities, the International Convention against Reproductive Cloning of Human Beings, and the Statute of International Criminal Court.