Mechanism welcomes new Judge to its judicial roster

The Mechanism is very pleased to announce that the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. António Guterres, has appointed Judge Lydia N. Mugambe Ssali of Uganda to the roster of Judges of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (Mechanism).

Judge Mugambe has served as a member of the Ugandan judiciary for many years, including as a Judge of the Court of Appeal/Constitutional Court of Uganda and as a Judge of the High Court of Uganda. Previously, she held a number of positions, including as a judicial officer at the Ugandan judiciary, and thereafter served at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, where she worked within the Chambers Legal Support Section and later the Appeals and Legal Advisory Division of the Office of the Prosecutor. Over the years, Judge Mugambe has received a number of awards for her important contributions in the areas of human rights and gender-based justice.

Judge Mugambe graduated from the Faculty of Law of Makerere University, Uganda, with a Bachelor of Laws. She holds two Master of Laws degrees from the University of Pretoria in South Africa and the Lund University in Sweden, and is currently a doctoral researcher at the University of Oxford, United Kingdom.

Judge Mugambe was appointed to the Mechanism’s roster of Judges following the passing of Judge Elizabeth Ibanda-Nahamya on 5 January 2023, and will serve the remainder of Judge Ibanda‑Nahamya’s term of office.

In accordance with its Statute, the Mechanism has a roster of 25 independent Judges who serve both branches of the Mechanism.