Date of initial election to the judicial roster: 20 December 2011
Current term: 1 July 2024 – 30 June 2026
Judge Vagn Prüsse Joensen has been a Judge of the Mechanism since it commenced operations in 2012. In this capacity, Judge Joensen has adjudicated a variety of matters, including as the Single Judge in the Nzabonimpa et al. (formerly Turinabo et al.) contempt trial, and as Presiding Judge 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 Joensen was a Judge of the ICTR from 2007 until the Tribunal’s closure on 31 December 2015. Appointed as an ad litem Judge of the ICTR and member of Trial Chamber III, he was involved in a number of cases during his tenure, including the Karemera & Ngirumpatse trial, and later became Presiding Judge of Trial Chamber III. Judge Joensen was elected as Vice‑President of the ICTR in August 2011 and as its President in February 2012, a position he held until the Tribunal’s closure. Separately, Judge Joensen was also the Chairperson of the ICTR’s Rules Committee from its inception in 2007 until 2011.
Before joining the ICTR, Judge Joensen was a Judge at the Danish High Court, Eastern Division, in Copenhagen (1994-2007) and at the City Court of Copenhagen (1982-1993). He also served as an international Judge at the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (2001-2002). He previously held the position of legal officer in the Danish Ministry of Justice (1974-1982). He has taught constitutional, criminal, and civil law at the law faculties of the University of Aarhus and the University of Copenhagen in Denmark.
Judge Joensen obtained a master’s degree in law from the University of Aarhus, Denmark (1973). He has also studied at the City of London College, United Kingdom, and Harvard Law School, United States of America. He is fluent in English and Danish.