Judge Iulia Motoc

Biography

Prior to joining the ICC, Judge Iulia Motoc was a Judge at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR, 2013-2023) and Professor of International Law. Judge Motoc served as a UN Special Rapporteur for the Democratic of Congo reporting crimes against humanity and war crimes. Judge Motoc is a member of the Institut de Droit International.

As a judge at the Constitutional Court of Romania (2010-2013) and Judge at the ECHR, Judge Motoc dealt with serious and complex cases including corruption and sexual violence, genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, in cases such as Drelingas v Lithuania and interstate cases such as Ukraine and the Netherlands v Russia or Chiragov and Others v Armenia and Sargsyan v Azerbaijan.

Judge Motoc has extensive experience with the United Nations and various legal systems. She was a member and Vice President of the UN Human Rights Committee examining the right to life, enforced disappearances and other massive violations of human rights that are also within the competence of the International Criminal Court. She was a member and President of the UN Sub-Commission on Promotion and Protection of Human Rights. She co-drafted the UN Report on free, prior and informed consent of indigenous people and the UN Guidelines on Extreme Poverty. She was UN Special Rapporteur on Genetics and Human Rights. At the European level, Judge Motoc was a member of the Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities and European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights and a Member of the Management Board.  

Judge Motoc began teaching at the University of Bucharest in 1995 and became full Professor in 2002. Her research interests encompass use of force, theory of international law, human rights and transitional justice. She has been a visiting professor at various institutions including the European Institute Florence, University Paris I, and Academy of International Law, The Hague, European Inter-University Centre for Human Rights and Democratization, Venice. She is the author of more than 80 publications.

Judge Motoc holds an LLB from the University of Bucharest (1989) a Master’s degree (1991) and a PhD in International Law from the University Paul Cezanne, Aix-Marseille III (1996). She obtained the habilitation in law from Paris XI, Jean Monnet (1998). Judge Motoc has a PhD in Philosophy from the University of Bucharest (1999) and was a Senior Fellow at the NYU School of Law (2003-2004) and Yale School of Law (2004-2007).