International Criminal Court Bar Association

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.

Jason Antley currently leads a project improving fair trials and defence lawyer capacity in Iraq and Kurdistan. He has worked on similar projects in Somaliland, Kosovo, Saudi Arabia, and the United Kingdom. Jason has worked in international tribunals since 2009, at the ICTY, the STL, and now as a consultant to the Yekatom Defence at the ICC. He is admitted to practice law in the US state of Georgia, and is a case management expert on the Justice Rapid Response roster. 

Mélissa Beaulieu Lussier is a Legal Assistant in the Defence team of Mr Al Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz (Mali) at the ICC since September 2021. She was previously Legal Assistant and Legal consultant in the Defence team of Mr Bosco Ntaganda (DRC) at the ICC between 2014-2015 and 2019-2021. She has experience in every phase of a case at the ICC, from pre-trial to reparations. She has also practiced as a criminal defence attorney for 4 years in Montreal (Canada), particularly in cases of sexual violence. Mélissa was admitted to the Québec Bar in 2014 and obtained a LL.M. from McGill University.

Dignité Bwiza Visser was nominated to serve on the Training Committee. Ms. Bwiza is a practising attorney at the Ituri Bar in the Democratic Republic of Congo since 2008 and at the Brussels Bar in Belgium* (List B of the French-speaking order). From 2015 to 2020, Bwiza served as an assistant to Counsel in the Defence teams at the International Criminal Court in cases against Bosco Ntaganda, Charles Blé Goudé, Bemba et al. (Article 70). Since 2020 to this day, Bwiza continued her active practice as a Legal Adviser under Rule 74, providing support to witnesses during interviews conducted by parties or during testimony before the ICC. She also participated as a trainer in ICCBA trainings. Ms. Bwiza actively engaged in advocacy initiatives aimed at improving the working conditions of Defence lawyers such as the provision of healthcare, paid sick leave, maternity leave, as well as the establishment of end-of-work notices, etc. Formerly the Africa Coordinator of the International Criminal Bar (BPI) and has lectured in international criminal law at the University of Tarragona (Spain). She is also the founder of Bwiza & Associates, a law firm specialised in environmental law. Bwiza has authored four books on the prosecution at both the national and international levels, of environmental crimes committed in the Democratic Republic of Congo by individuals, corporations, and/or states. I accepted the nomination to the Training Committee as I believe I can share my professional experience related to practice before the ICC to those who seek it, as well as contribute to the establishment of a platform that facilitates the sharing of experiences among members of the ICCBA. I express my gratitude  in advance for your trust.

James Onalaja is an English Criminal Barrister with over 19 years’ experience, practising from 187 Chambers, London. He has undertaken postgraduate studies in ICL at Columbia Law School and obtained a Master of Laws in ICL (Cum Laude) from Amsterdam University. His practise focuses on: serious, complex and violent crimes, including matters with transnational and international law complexities; military court martials and; cases involving alleged human rights violations. He is admitted to the ICC’s and the Kosovo Specialist Chambers’ lists of counsel.  He recently completed a posting with the ICC’s Office of Public Counsel for the Defence (OPCD), assisting with its duties representing, protecting and promoting the interests of the defence and unrepresented suspects. Here, he led the development of OPCD’s advocacy training programme for junior lawyers and the delivery of the inaugural training sessions. He is an advocacy tutor to trainee lawyers in England and is experienced at providing Continuing Professional Development training to legal professionals. He conducts international trial monitoring and reporting on compliance with IHRL on behalf of EuroMed Rights. He assisted the defence team in Case 004 before the ECCC. He has also worked with members of the United Nations Human Rights Committee in preparing them for their 122nd Session and periodic oral dialogues with States re compliance with the ICCPR.  He has served on the Amicus Committee for three terms. As Committee Chair, he led the Committee’s intervention on the Independent Expert Review and the SGG proposal to amend the ICC Statute and/or Rules to allow for replacement judges in ICC trials should a judge become unable to continue. James previously served on the Training Committee in 2020/21 and the 2023/24 Legal Advisory Committee. He looks forward to continuing to serve the ICCBA wherever required.