Lebanon's new Czech judge

Judge Ivana Hrdli?ková, appointed by the United Nations Secretary General to serve on the Appeals Chamber of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, will pronounce her solemn declaration before taking up her duties at a public hearing on January 16. Judge Hrdli?ková, from the Czech Republic, replaced Judge Kjell Erik Björnberg, who retired from the position in December. She holds a PhD from the law faculty of Charles University in Prague and specialises in Islamic Shari'a, with a focus on human rights and Islamic finance in international and Islamic law. Since 2008, she also acts as a legal expert of the Council of Europe in matters related to human rights, money laundering and the financing of terrorism. The Special Tribunal's Appeals Chamber has two Lebanese judges and three international judges. The Chamber's Presiding Judge, Sir David Baragwanath, welcomed the appointment of Judge Hrdli?ková to the Special Tribunal, stating that "her experience as a Judge in her own domestic system, as an expert on the rule of law, and the perspective she will bring to us will greatly enhance our Appeals Chamber". He also thanked Judge Björnberg for his outstanding contribution to the work of the Appeals Chamber, the wisdom he demonstrated, as well as his unwavering dedication to the cause of justice