Daniel Nsereko
Daniel Nsereko | |
|---|---|
| Born | Daniel David Ntanda Nsereko 27 November 1941 |
| Other names | Judge and legal scholar |
| Academic background | |
| Alma mater | University of East Africa New York University School of Law Howard University School of Law |
| Academic work | |
| Institutions | The Hague Academy of International Law University of Botswana |
| Judge of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon | |
| Assumed office 12 March 2012 | |
| Judge of the International Criminal Court | |
| In office 3 December 2007 – 10 March 2012 | |
| Nominated by | Uganda |
| Appointed by | Assembly of States Parties |
Daniel David Ntanda Nsereko (born 27 November 1941) is a Ugandan judge and legal scholar. He was a member of the Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Court (ICC) from 2008 to 2012, and currently serves as a judge on the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.
Early life and education
Nsereko comes from a family of nine children. His father Obadiah Busulwa was a former teacher and lay preacher in the Anglican Church, until he became a Seventh-day Adventist in 1950. Nsereko was baptized into the Seventh-day Adventist Church in 1960, during secondary school.[1]
Nsereko received his LLB from the University of East Africa in 1968, an MCJ from Howard University School of Law in 1970, and an LLM and JSD from New York University School of Law in 1973-1975.[2]
He also obtained a Certificate in International Law in 1972 from The Hague Academy of International Law .[3]He was the first person from his home village in Nabinene, Uganda, to graduate from university with his LL.B.. Since 1972, he has been an Advocate of the High Court of Uganda.
After completing his studies and returning to Uganda in the mid-1970s, the country was going through an unsettled and sometimes dangerous period under the Amin regime. Nsereko practiced law in Kampala, working on a variety of legal matters, including serving as the lawyer for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the area, all while navigating a challenging political climate.
Legal career
Private Practice and Advocacy
Nsereko began his career in Uganda as a pupil advocate with Kiwanuka & Co., Advocates, in 1968. He became an Advocate of the High Court of Uganda in 1972 and ran a full-time private law practice in Kampala from 1978 to 1982. In this role, he represented clients in both criminal and civil cases before various courts, sometimes achieving precedent-setting decisions. He later served as a consultant for the law firm of Ssendege, Senyondo & Co., Advocates and Solicitors, in Kampala.
International and Advisory Roles
Nsereko's international work included consulting for the United Nations Crime Branch, contributing to the drafting of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Victims of Crime and Abuse of Power. He also led Amnesty International missions to investigate human rights violations and served as a trial observer. He participated in the process leading to the establishment of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and provided legal opinions to the ICC Prosecutor and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR).[4]
Judicial Service
Nsereko was nominated and elected to the ICC in 2007.[5][6] In 2009, he presided over an appeal of a criminal case against Germain Katanga.[7] In 2012, he was part of the majority panel in an ICC case regarding the 2007–2008 Kenyan crisis.[8][9] He became a judge of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon in March 2012.[10][11] He is currently a member of the Advisory Committee on nominations of judges to the ICC.
Nsereko is a member of the Crimes Against Humanity Initiative Advisory Council, a project of the Whitney R. Harris World Law Institute at Washington University School of Law in St. Louis to establish the world's first treaty on the prevention and punishment of crimes against humanity.
He has been a Professor of Law at the University of Botswana and Makerere University in Uganda. He has also served as an expert consultant to the United Nations Crime Branch and on several Amnesty International missions to investigate human rights violations.[12]
He is a widely published author in the fields of international criminal law and human rights, with notable works including Criminal Law in Uganda and Constitutional Law in Botswana.
Personal life
- Marital Status: He is married.
- Wife: He met his wife, Helen, who is a distinguished mathematician, while they were attending the same church congregation during his studies in New York.
- Children: As of the mid-1970s when he returned to Uganda, he was married with three children. Sources indicate that the couple has raised their family while he pursued his international career.
- His autobiography, To the Hague from Nabinene, highlights his journey from a very humble background to becoming an international judge, underscoring the values of hard work, education, and resilience.
- Interests: Beyond law, sources indicate he held a keen interest in Ugandan football and KCCA FC as a supporter. He is described as a humble, satisfied man who was content with what he had and never feared expressing his opinion.[13]
See also
References
- ^ Kibuuka, Hudson. "Daniel D. Ntande Nsereko". College and University Dialogue. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
- ^ "Judge Daniel Nsereko". Special Tribunal for Lebanon.
- ^ Dybdahl, Thomas (17 January 2024). "To the Hague from Nabinene: A Book Review". Spectrum Magazine. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
- ^ "Judge Daniel Nsereko". Rotary World Peace Conference 2016. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
- ^ Osike, Felix; Candia, Steven (17 July 2007). "Uganda: Lawyer Nominated for ICC Judge". New Vision.
- ^ "Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court – Sixth session – New York, 30 November - 14 December 2007 – Official Records – Volume I" (PDF). International Criminal Court. p. 12. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
- ^ "Trial of Congolese militia leader can proceed, International Criminal Court rules". UN News. 25 September 2009. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
- ^ Jalloh, Charles Chernor (2012). "Situation in the Republic of Kenya". American Journal of International Law. 106 (1). 121, note 9. doi:10.5305/amerjintelaw.106.1.0118. ISSN 0002-9300. S2CID 229170516.
- ^ "International Criminal Court case against Kenyan officials to proceed". UN News. 30 August 2011. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
- ^ "New STL Prosecutor, Appeals Chamber Judge Sworn in". Naharnet. 12 March 2012. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
- ^ "United Nations appoints Norman Farrell as STL prosecutor". The Daily Star. 1 March 2012. ISSN 1027-3883. ProQuest document ID 925643521.
- ^ "Judge Daniel Nsereko". Rotary World Peace Conference 2016. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
- ^ Clark, Roger S. (1 September 2024). "Reviewing: Judge Daniel David Ntanda Nsereko, To The Hague from Nabinene, Pittsburgh, 2023, 417pp". Criminal Law Forum. 35 (3): 335–338. doi:10.1007/s10609-024-09490-2. ISSN 1572-9850.