International Criminal Court Bar Association

Mélissa Beaulieu Lussier is a Canadian lawyer and a member of the Quebec Bar since 2014. Since her admission to the Bar, she has practised criminal law both in Canada and before the International Criminal Court (ICC). She has served on the Defence teams of Mr Bosco Ntaganda (DRC), Mr Patrice-Edouard Ngaïssona (CAR), and Mr Al Hassan ag Abdoul Aziz (Mali). Over the years, Ms Beaulieu Lussier has represented accused persons at every stage of proceedings at the ICC, conducted investigations in multiple countries, drafted legal submissions at both trial and appellate levels, and presented a wide range of oral arguments before the Court. She is currently Counsel for Mr Al Hassan and a member of the team representing victims in the case of Mr Abd-Al-Rahman (Darfur) before the ICC. Ms Beaulieu has also been actively involved with the ICCBA for many years. As a member of the Training Committee for the past two terms, she has contributed to the development of many trainings, including the training for Rule 74 duty counsel which she has delivered on numerous occasions. She regularly lectures at universities and bar associations around the world and has also supervised Master’s theses at the University of Amsterdam. Ms Beaulieu strongly believes that sharing experiences across the legal profession strengthens international criminal law and that investing in the training and professional development of lawyers is essential to the effective functioning of the field.  

Ms. Dimitri brings over two decades of experience to her role before international courts. Currently, she serves as the Lead Counsel for Alfred Yekatom in the Central African Republic II Situation at the International Criminal Court and has also worked as Associate Counsel for Mr. Jean-Pierre Bemba (Article 70). At the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), Ms. Dimitri represented Dr. Augustin Ngirabatware, the Minister of Planning, as his Lead Counsel through both trial and appeal stages. Additionally, she was Co-Counsel for Arsène Shalom Ntahobali, the son of the Minister of Women’s Affairs, Pauline Nyiramasuhuko, in their trial and appeal proceedings. Ms. Dimitri has also navigated trials in absentia, notably co-representing Mustafa Badreddine’s rights and interests at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon until the proceedings were terminated. Subsequently, she transitioned to a Legal Consultant role for Mr. Hassan Habib Merhi.  In Canada, she undertook a ground-breaking trial under universal jurisdiction, defending Désiré Munyaneza against charges related to the 1994 Rwandan Genocide before both the Quebec Superior Court and the Quebec Court of Appeal.  Ms. Dimitri is also an esteemed speaker, having delivered numerous lectures and conferences on open-source investigations and the intricacies of defending suspects in wartime. She was also part of a group of experts invited by the Nuremberg Academy to debate on the length of the proceedings before the ICC. Additionally, she has conducted specialized training for Ukrainian lawyers, further showcasing her commitment to legal education and international human rights. She was also invited to provide a presentation on international criminal courts and tribunals to the appeals judges in Quebec, Canada during their annual training.

Despoina Eleftheriou is a Greek lawyer admitted to the Thessaloniki Bar and a Case Manager and Legal Assistant before the International Criminal Court. She is currently serving on the Ngaïssona Defence team and she previously worked on the Blé Goudé Defence team. Within the ICCBA, she served as Chair of the Counsel Support Staff Committee, where she led the development of the ICCBA “Welcome Package” and promoted practical resources for counsel and support staff. Beyond the Court, she interned at the Hellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Department for International Relations in Thessaloniki. She holds an LL.B. from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, an LL.M. in International Studies with Honours, and an LL.M. in International Criminal Law from the University of Amsterdam, graduating cum laude in the joint programme with Columbia University in the City of New York.

Haneen is an international criminal law practitioner from Syria; she has experience in the defence in the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the Kosovo Specialist Chambers. She is currently part of the defence team of Mr. Ali Abd Al Rahman as a legal assistant. Prior to her current position, she was a member of the defence teams of Mr Mokom and Mr. Al Hassan. Haneen has experience working on SGBV (UN Team of Experts on the Rule of Law and Sexual Violence), reparations, and a wide range of procedural issues related to international criminal proceedings, namely disclosure and management of evidence. Haneen is a graduate of LLM Public International Law from Leiden University and the Sorbonne.

Anta Guissé has been a practising lawyer at the Paris Bar in France since 1999. Her working language is French, while she also speaks English. As a criminal defence lawyer, she has appeared regularly before national criminal courts and the Assize Court in particular. In addition, Ms Guissé has several years of experience appearing before the international jurisdictions. Between 2002 and 2010, she worked with several different defence teams before the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, firstly as a legal assistant and then as counsel. In 2010, Ms Guissé had an assignment in a team of Legal Representatives of Victims before the International Criminal Court. She was also Defence Counsel at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. Since 2012, Ms Guissé has been acting as an international lawyer for former Chairman KHIEU Samphân before the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) and is currently Counsel for Mr. Yekatom at the ICC. Ms Guissé also regularly presents at training workshops for colleagues on the subject of international criminal justice.

Harihara Arun Somasankar is an advocate with extensive experience in litigation, international law, criminal law, constitutional law, arbitration and human rights. He has appeared before the High Courts and various courts and tribunals, handling complex civil and criminal matters and advising on significant legal and constitutional issues. He has a particular interest in international criminal law and the relationship between domestic justice systems and international legal institutions. His professional work reflects a commitment to the rule of law, access to justice, professional integrity and the advancement of the legal profession. He was elected as a member of the ICCBA Legal Advisory, contributing to the Committee’s work in advising the ICCBA Executive Committee, other committees and its membership on legal issues. This experience provided him with valuable insight into the functioning of the Committee and the legal needs of the international criminal law community. He is the author and originator of “Staragonism: The Theory of Correctional Administration and Prison Reform,” an original legal theory proposing a new perspective on correctional administration, rehabilitation and prison reform, with the objective of contributing to contemporary legal thought and the development of criminal justice systems. Having previously served on the ICCBA Constitutional Organs, he seeks the opportunity to serve once again with experience, independence and a commitment to advancing the interests of the international criminal law community.