Getting to know Judge Iulia Motoc

DAVAO CITY – Presiding International Criminal Court (ICC) Judge Iulia Motoc, a Romanian national, was appointed to the ICC on March 11, 2024, for a term lasting until March 19, 2033. She is currently assigned to the Pre-Trial Division, serving in Chamber I and Chamber III.

Judge Motoc is the presiding judge in the pre-trial case of Former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte.

Before her tenure at the ICC, Judge Motoc served as a Judge at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) from 2013 to 2023 and was also a Professor of International Law. She previously held the role of UN Special Rapporteur for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where she reported on crimes against humanity and war crimes. Additionally, she is a distinguished member of the Institut de Droit International.

Judge Motoc has an extensive judicial background. As a Judge at the Constitutional Court of Romania (2010–2013) and later at the ECHR, she handled complex and high-profile cases involving corruption, sexual violence, genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. Some notable cases she presided over include Drelingas v. Lithuania and interstate cases such as Ukraine and the Netherlands v. Russia, Chiragov and Others v. Armenia, and Sargsyan v. Azerbaijan.

Her experience extends beyond the courtroom. Judge Motoc has worked extensively with the United Nations, having served as a member and Vice President of the UN Human Rights Committee, where she examined issues related to the right to life, enforced disappearances, and mass human rights violations, many of which fall under the jurisdiction of the ICC.

She was also a member and President of the UN Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights.

Furthermore, she co-drafted key UN documents, including the UN Report on Free, Prior, and Informed Consent of Indigenous Peoples and the UN Guidelines on Extreme Poverty. She also served as the UN Special Rapporteur on Genetics and Human Rights.

At the European level, Judge Motoc was a member of the Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities and the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, where she was part of its Management Board.

Judge Motoc has also had an extensive academic career. She began teaching at the University of Bucharest in 1995 and became a full professor in 2002. Her research focuses on the use of force, theories of international law, human rights, and transitional justice. She has been a visiting professor at various esteemed institutions, including the European University Institute in Florence, University of Paris I, the Academy of International Law in The Hague, and the European Inter-University Centre for Human Rights and Democratization in Venice. She is the author of over 80 publications.

Judge Motoc holds multiple advanced degrees. She earned an LLB from the University of Bucharest (1989), a Master’s degree (1991), and a PhD in International Law from the University Paul Cézanne, Aix-Marseille III (1996). She also obtained a habilitation in law from Paris XI, Jean Monnet (1998). In addition, she has a PhD in Philosophy from the University of Bucharest (1999) and was a Senior Fellow at the NYU School of Law (2003–2004) and Yale School of Law (2004–2007).

With her vast legal expertise and deep experience in international law, Judge Iulia Motoc brings a wealth of knowledge to the International Criminal Court as she takes on critical cases that shape global justice.