Carla Del Ponte: Guardian of Justice and Peace

By Gemma Tabet

Written: January 26, 2021

Theme of Issue: SDG 16, Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions. Here is the official UN link where you can learn more about this particular Sustainable Development Goal: https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal16

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Photo Credit: Raphael Gaillarde via Getty Images

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We don't often hear about lawyers and judges who have done many great things; passed laws to further human rights, put criminals in jail and in general, fought crime and violence in tense courtrooms or with the bang of their gavel. One of these guardians of justice is Switzerland's very own hero, Carla del Ponte, a woman said to be as tough as stone who will sacrifice anything for the sake of justice. It's probably because of this trait that Carla del Ponte still today remains an obscure figure; seeking justice for everyone she has even gone against the United Nations itself. But it's impossible to not recognize her skill in law and to recognize all the good she has done. So, who is Carla del Ponte?

Carla del Ponte (born February 9th, 1947 in Lugano, Switzerland) is a former Chief Prosecutor of two United Nations international law tribunals. She fights for justice for the victims of war crimes, and thanks to her many notorious criminals across the world have been put in jail. A former Swiss attorney general, she was appointed prosecutor for the International Crime Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and the International Crime Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) in 1999.

Del Ponte studied law in Bern and Geneva, earning her degree in 1972. She made her name as the General Attorney of Switzerland, opposing organized crime at the cost of her personal safety, beating La Cosa Nostra (Sicily’s mafia), Russia’s mafia and Switzerland’s financial empire. She is even the only public Swiss figure that requires bodyguards at all times.

In 1999 the UN Security Council gave her the position of Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunals for the Former Yugoslavia and for Rwanda. The International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia was established by the United Nations Security Council on May 1993. Based in The Hague, Holland, the tribunal was the first international body for prosecution of war crimes since the Tokyo and Nuremberg trials after World War II. The tribunal had the authority to bring individuals to court for war crimes, genocide and crimes against human rights in the territory of the former Yugoslavia. Carla del Ponte was the tribunal’s chief prosecutor from 1999 to 2007. Because of her hard work 161 people responsible for war crimes and genocides were brought before the international court.

During the same period of time (from 1999 to 2003) Carla del Ponte served as chief prosecutor for the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, investigating crimes committed during the 1994 Rwandan genocide. However, Del Ponte’s uncompromising position to prosecute crimes on all sides and her refusal to bow to political pressure often put her in difficult situations with governments and the UN.

In Rwanda she was forced to leave her position when she began to investigate alleged crimes committed by President Kagame’s forces during the war. More recently in 2017, Del Ponte resigned from the Commission of Inquiry on Syria, due to frustration at the lack of support from the UN and inaction of the Security Council.

Although Carla del Ponte does not like to be called a hero for her courage and bravery, recognition must be given for her work to seek justice for the victims of horrible crimes committed across the world as our governments fail to maintain peace. Del Ponte is a firm believer that there can be no peace without justice, justice for the victims and their relatives,“My greatest motivation is the victims of the crimes. You can imagine that with war crimes, crimes against humanity...people suffer in an incredible manner. I and my collaborators are very motivated when we see that the victims see that justice is done, it's incredible and that gives us a great motivation.”