FORMER Chief Justice of Tanzania retired Judge Mohamed Chande Othman has been named the Chairperson of the International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia by Human Rights Council, President Ambassador Federico Villegas.
The appointment of Judge (rtd) Chande came after Kaari Betty Murungi's resignation as Chairperson and Member of the Commission.
Ms Murungi was congratulated for her work on the Commission, where Ambassador Villegas wished her luck in her future endeavours.
The three-person Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia was created by the UN Human Rights Council on 17 December 2021 with a mandate to investigate alleged human rights violations and abuses in Ethiopia committed since 3rd November, 2020 by all parties to the conflict.
On 7th October 2022, the Council decided to renew the mandate of the Commission for a further period of one year.
The Commission is scheduled to deliver its next update to the Human Rights Council during its 52nd regular session (27 February-31 March 2023).
Judge (rtd) Chande served as Chief Justice of Tanzania from December 2010 to 18 January 2017 and was appointed by UN Secretary-General Ban-Ki-moon in 2015 as the Chairperson of the Independent Panel of Experts on the Dag Hammarskjöld Investigations.
In 2019-2020, he served as a member of the Independent Expert Review of the International Criminal Court and the Rome Statute System, having been appointed by the Assembly of State Parties of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
His previous experience includes being the Prosecutor General of Timor-Leste (2000-2001), Chief of Prosecutions of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (1998-2000), and Senior Legal and Justice Sector Adviser for UNDP-Cambodia.
The former CJ has also served as a member of the UN Human Rights Council's High-Level Commission of Inquiry into the Situation in Lebanon following the Israel-Lebanon Armed Conflict in 2006 and as the UN Human Rights Council's Independent Expert on the human rights situation in Sudan (2009-2010).