Date of initial election to the judicial roster: 20 December 2011
Current term: 1 July 2024 – 30 June 2026
Judge William Hussein Sekule has been a Judge of the Mechanism since it commenced operations in July 2012. In this capacity, he has adjudicated a variety of matters, including as a Single Judge, and as a member of the Appeals Chamber in the Karadžić case. He is currently one of three Judges assigned on a rotating basis as duty Judge for the Mechanism’s Arusha Branch.
Judge Sekule was a permanent Judge of the ICTR from 1995. He served for many years as Presiding Judge of Trial Chamber II of the ICTR (1995-1999, 2001-2013), which adjudicated the Kamuhanda and Nyiramasuhuko et al. (Butare) cases, among others. Subsequently, Judge Sekule became a member of the Appeals Chamber of both the ICTR and the ICTY (2013-2015), where he sat on a number of cases, including the Popović et al. case.
In addition, Judge Sekule served as a Judge of the High Court of Tanzania from 1987 to 2004. Earlier in his career, he was Director of Public Prosecution of Tanzania (1979-1987) and held a number of positions in the Attorney General’s Chambers of Tanzania (1970-1979) as State Attorney, Senior State Attorney and Principal State Attorney.
Judge Sekule was also a board member of the Law Faculty of the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (1978-1987), and a member of the Police and Prison Services in Tanzania (1978-1987). He participated in the 1980 and 1985 United Nations Congresses on the Prevention of Crime and Treatment of Offenders, as well as the Preparatory Meeting for the Africa Region 1983. In addition, he attended sessions of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights as deputy leader of the Tanzanian delegation (1983-1984).
Judge Sekule holds a bachelor’s degree in law from the University College of Dar Es Salaam, University of East Africa, Tanzania (1970). He is fluent in English and Swahili.