Nationality: Finland (Western European and other States)
Term: 11 March 2003 - 25 January 2015
Elected from: List A on 7 February 2003
Biography
Judge as of 11 March 2003, for a term of three years and re-elected in 2006 for a further term of nine years. Assigned to the Appeals Division. Elected from the Western European and others Group of States (WEOG), list B.
Judge Kourula (1948) has a PhD in international law from the University of Oxford. He has held various research positions in international law, including international humanitarian law and human rights, and has acted as a professor of international law. His experience includes working as a district judge in Finland dealing with criminal cases. Between 1985 and 2003, he served the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs in various legal capacities, culminating in his appointment as Director General for Legal Affairs; he was also agent for Finland before the European Court of Human Rights and the Court of Justice of the European Communities. In 1991 he was appointed Legal Adviser to the Permanent Mission of Finland to the United Nations in New York, serving until 1995. He followed closely the developments leading to the establishment of the ICTY and ICTR and was actively involved in the negotiations of the Rome Statute (1995-1998) as head of the Finnish delegation to the Preparatory Committee and as head of the Finnish delegation to the Rome Conference on the Establishment of an International Criminal Court. From 1998 to 2002, Judge Kourala served in Strasbourg as Permanent Representative of Finland (Ambassador), holding the chair of e.g., the Rapporteur Groups on Human Rights and National Minorities of the Council of Europe (2000-2002). He has participated in many international conferences, contributed to publications and written articles on international law, including victims' issues.
