) is the current Registrar of the International Criminal Court

International Criminal Court

The International Criminal Court is a permanent tribunal to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression .It came into being on 1 July 2002—the date its founding treaty, the Rome Statute of the...

. As such, she is the principal administrative officer of the Court. After gaining experience as a judge and prosecutor in Italy, Arbia made her international début as a Senior Trial Attorney at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda

International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda

The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda is an international court established in November 1994 by the United Nations Security Council in Resolution 955 in order to judge people responsible for the Rwandan Genocide and other serious violations of international law in Rwanda, or by Rwandan...

.

Education and training

Arbia obtained her master's degree in law at the University of Padua

University of Padua

The University of Padua is a premier Italian university located in the city of Padua, Italy. The University of Padua was founded in 1222 as a school of law and was one of the most prominent universities in early modern Europe. It is among the earliest universities of the world and the second...

 in Italy in 1976 and, while working, continued her training in order to specialise in European law (at the Academy of European Law

Academy of European Law

The Academy of European Law is an international centre for training and debate for lawyers...

 in Florence) and international law (at The Hague Academy of International Law

Hague Academy of International Law

The Hague Academy of International Law is a center for high-level education in both public and private international law housed in the Peace Palace in The Hague, The Netherlands...

). She undertook additional training at the René Cassin International Institute of Human Rights in 1989 and at the Canadian Human Rights Foundation in 1995.

Activities in Italy

While practising law in Venice

Venice

Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...

, Arbia passed a public competitive examination to become a judge and prosecutor in Italy, positions which she held until 1999. Amongst other functions, she sat on the first criminal chamber of the Appeals Court.

During that time, Arbia was a fervent advocate of human rights, a subject which she taught at the LUISS University in Rome and at the Police Academy. This commitment also drove her to become a consultant with the non-governmental organisation CRIC.

On several occasions, she was appointed to represent the Italian Ministry of Justice in various international programmes on topics such as "Concerted European initiatives and Italian legislation to combat human trafficking and sexual exploitation of children" and "Victims of crimes in the European Union".

International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR)

On 24 October 1999, Arbia was appointed Senior Trial Attorney, and later Acting Chief of Prosecutions in the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. As Chief of Prosecutions, she led the prosecution in some of the most significant cases before the ICTR:

• Butare Case: prosecution of six accused, including the former Minister of Family and Women's Affairs, the only woman charged to date with genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes under international law as well as the first woman ever to be charged with rape as a crime against humanity and a war crime before an international tribunal;
• Seromba Case: the first Catholic priest charged with, and convicted for, genocide and crimes against humanity.

International Criminal Court (ICC)

Arbia participated in the drafting of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court as a member of the Italian delegation at the diplomatic conference held in Rome in 1998.

Her election as Registrar

Registrar

A registrar is an official keeper of records made in a register. Registrar may also refer to:-Government records:* Recorder of deeds, government office which maintains public records related to real estate...

of the International Criminal Court on 28 February 2008 was a logical progression from her career at the ICTR. As Registrar, Arbia is responsible for the non-judicial aspects of the administration and servicing of the Court.

Publications

• Essay on police proceedings ("I provvedimenti di polizia", Nuovissimo Digesto, Utet, 1986).
• Essay on Italian jurisprudence and the European Convention on Human Rights ("La Giurisprudenza italiana e la Convenzione Europea dei diritti dell'Uomo", Rivista internazionale dei Diritti dell'Uomo, Milan, N.1/1999).
• Essay on the International Convention on the Rights of the Child (Edizioni scientifiche italiane, 1994).
• Report on legal problems concerning immigrant children from non-EU countries ("I minori extracomunitari: problemi giuridici", XVth International Congress, Child Health Plan '98, Ancona, Italy, 1998-05-28/30, Ed. G.M. Caramia, pp. 83 to 95).
• Brief commentary on the treaties of the European Community and Union, edited by Fausto Pocar, published by Cedam, Padua, 2001 (commentaries on articles 39/42, 125/130 and 136/140).

Sources

• Biography of Silvana Arbia on ICC website