INTERNATIONAL NUREMBERG PRINCIPLES ACADEMY - Key Persons
Alexander Fernandes-Köhler was born in Nairobi and has a Kenyan-German-Indian background. He earned his first-class law degree at The Hague University of Applied Science in International and European law, with a focus on International Criminal Law. After his law degree, he completed his Master's in Terrorism and Political Violence at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland and graduated first-class with Merit. During his studies he focussed his research on hate speech and blasphemy, the war crime of terror and an integrative approach between law and politics on the persecution of the Uyghur people in China. He has also written papers for the UK non-profit organisation Yet Again on the the law of Genocide surrounding the Uyghur persecution in China.
Mr Fernandes-Köhler has gained experience at the United Nations IRMCT Prosecutors Office, where he supported ongoing trials and investigations with legal analyses and research. He also compiled litigation overviews, reviewed and analysed evidence and drafted a court submission.
Mr Fernandes-Köhler is fluent in English and German.
Anouk Julien is a Canadian lawyer specialising on international criminal law and humanitarian law. She holds an LLM in Peace Operations, Humanitarian Law and Conflicts from NUI Galway and is a recognised member of the Quebec Bar since 2020.
With experience in defence, both at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon and as a Case Manager at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, Ms Julien has showcased legal expertise and a profound insight into legal strategy. Actively involved in defence associations such as Association of Defence Counsel practising before the International Courts and Tribunals and the International Criminal Court Bar Association, she significantly contributes to international legal practices. Additionally, she has worked at Médecins Sans Frontières, where she addressed critical challenges such as terrorism and migration.
Ms Julien is fluent in French and English and proficient in Spanish.
Job Titles:
- Digital Event - and Content Management Officer
Before joining the International Nuremberg Principles Academy, Berthold Kuhne worked in online marketing and sales for various companies. He also worked as an intercultural coach for large corporations and institutes in the Nuremberg and Munich region.
Mr Kuhne studied at the Faculty of Comparative Culture at Sophia University in Tokyo as well as at the Faculty of History of Science and Technology at Technische Universität Berlin. He holds an MBA which he received at the Faculty of Law and Economics at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg.
Job Titles:
- Senior Officer for Training and Capacity Building
Darleen Seda is a Kenyan lawyer with specialisation in international criminal law, international human rights law and transitional justice. She has substantial experience working with domestic and international research and policy institutions, including the Nuremberg Academy where she worked as Project Officer from 2016 to 2017.
Before re-joining the Nuremberg Academy, Darleen Seda worked at the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, the Max Planck Foundation for International Peace and the Rule of Law and the Kenyan Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission. She also supported the African Union Commission of Inquiry on South Sudan as a Junior Consultant.
Darleen Seda holds a (joint) Master's degree from the University of Western Cape (South Africa) and Humboldt University (Germany) and a Bachelor's degree from Kenyatta University (Kenya). She is currently pursuing her doctoral studies at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg where her research focuses on access to justice and particularly the need to strengthen existing informal justice systems in South Sudan.
She is fluent in English and Swahili and proficient in German.
Dr Angar Verma (Dr iur., LLM) is Senior Officer at the International Nuremberg Principles Academy with an Afghan-German-Indian background. His interests include the relationship between politics and international law, international legal theory, international criminal law, transnational organised crimes, human rights law and peace and conflict studies. He studied law at the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn and at the Universität zu Köln, specialising in international law, international criminal law and European law. Additionally, he obtained an LLM at the European University Institute, where he conducted interdisciplinary research at the intersection of peace and conflict studies and international law. He completed his doctoral studies at the Universität zu Köln, which included a research stay at the New York University as Gibson Dunn Fellow, with a dissertation entitled "Methodology and the Identification of International Crimes." Prior to joining the Nuremberg Academy, Dr Verma worked as Research Associate at the Institute for International Peace and Security Law in Cologne. He has also worked at the German Consulate General in Mumbai, the German Aerospace Center in Bonn, the European Journal of International Law in Florence and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in Vienna.
He is fluent in English, German, Hindi and Urdu.
Dr Emma Brandon is an American lawyer, specialised in international criminal law and international human rights law. She completed her doctoral thesis at the PluriCourts Centre at the University of Oslo, where her doctoral research focused on state cooperation issues at the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the regional human rights courts.
Previously, she supported the ICC's prosecution team in the case of the Prosecutor v. Al Mahdi - the first guilty plea at the ICC. She has also worked as a (Senior) Research Associate at the Public International Law and Policy Group (PILPG), where she assisted that global pro bono law firm with its advice to civil society and governmental clients in the context of peace negotiations and post-conflict transition.
Dr Brandon holds a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in International Relations and Political Science from Boston University, a Juris Doctorate (JD) from the American University Washington College of Law and a PhD in International Law from the University of Oslo.
Job Titles:
- Senior Officer for International Criminal Law
Dr Gurgen Petrossian, LLM (Heidelberg), is an Armenian legal expert who specialises in international criminal law, international law and human rights. He holds teaching positions at Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Katholische Universität Eichstätt-Ingolstadt and Yerevan State University. Before rejoining the International Nuremberg Principles Academy, Dr Petrossian advised one of Germany's largest textile companies on aspects of business and human rights in accordance with the German Act on Due Diligence in Supply Chains. Previously, he worked as head of the International Criminal Law Research Unit at Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg. During his tenure, he successfully led and completed research projects funded by the German Federal Foreign Office and the German Research Foundation. These projects dealt with topics such as "Length of Proceedings at the International Criminal Court" and "Victims' Rights before the International Criminal Court".
From 2016 to 2019, Dr Petrossian was one of the organisers of the "Nuremberg Moot Court". He has provided assistance to the Republic of Armenia and the Iraqi Kurdistan Autonomous Region on incorporating international criminal law into their respective legal systems. Dr Petrossian also served as legal advisor in Armenia, where he made significant contributions to the prison facility investigation project of the NGO Helsinki Association for Human Rights. Additionally, he gained valuable experience at the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Armenia.
Dr Petrossian obtained an LLB from Yerevan State University, followed by an LLM from Universität Heidelberg and ultimately earned a PhD from Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg. He publishes on international criminal law, international law and human rights. Since 2019, he is the president of the German-Armenian Lawyers' Association and member of the German Institute for Compliance.
He is fluent in Armenian, Russian, English and German.
Dr Pablo Gavira Díaz is a Spanish lawyer, specialised in international humanitarian law and international criminal law. He received his doctorate in International Law from the Walther Schücking Institute for International Law at the University of Kiel, where his doctoral research focused on the international protection of immovable cultural property and the criminal liability for attacks against those objects in international criminal law.
His academic background includes a teaching position at the University of Kiel and a consultancy for the European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI). Dr Gavira Díaz also has provided legal support to the Supreme Headquarters of Allied Powers in Europe (SHAPE) which is responsible for the planning and execution of all NATO military operations.
He earned a Licenciatura en Derecho from the University of Seville in Spain and participated in a specialisation course on Human Rights and Democratisation at the same university.
He is fluent in Spanish, English and German.
Job Titles:
- Deputy Director
- Editor of the Nuremberg Academy Series
Dr Viviane Dittrich is Deputy Director of the International Nuremberg Principles Academy. Previously, she taught for several years at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), at Royal Holloway, University of London, and at Sciences Po Paris and has been recognised as Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy since 2013. Also, she was Visiting Fellow at the LSE Centre for International Studies, Honorary Research Associate at Royal Holloway and Visiting Researcher at iCourts, Centre of Excellence for International Courts at the University of Copenhagen.
Her research interests lie at the intersections of politics and international law, focusing on international organisations, international criminal law and tribunals, and the politics of memory. Her research has appeared in several edited volumes and academic journals. Her work has focused on the notion of legacy and the process of legacy building at the international criminal tribunals and comparatively investigates the ICTY, ICTR, SCSL, ECCC, ICC and IMT (Nuremberg). She has conducted extensive field research in numerous countries, including Cambodia, Germany, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, the Netherlands and the United States.
Dr Dittrich is the editor of the Nuremberg Academy Series (TOAEP) and recently co-edited three volumes: The Past, Present and Future of the International Criminal Court (2021), Integrity in International Justice (2020) and The Tokyo Tribunal: Perspectives on Law, History and Memory (2020). Her new book is an edited collection on 70 Years Nuremberg Principles - 70 Perspectives (forthcoming).
She has previous work experience, as temporary staff or intern, at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (The Hague), German Embassy (Washington, DC), Institute of International Education (Washington, DC), US House of Representatives (Washington, DC), Bundestag (Berlin) and German Historical Museum (Berlin).
After studies in France, England and the United States (Wellesley College) she received an MSc in International Relations from the LSE and a Master's degree from Sciences Po Paris (double degree). She holds a PhD from the LSE.
She is fluent in English, French and German and proficient in Spanish.
Job Titles:
- Communications and Event Management Officer
Evelyn Müller joined the International Nuremberg Principles Academy in February 2017 as Communications and Event Management Officer. Her long-term international experience in event management and public relations extends over different fields. Prior to joining the Nuremberg Academy, she was coordinator of the French-German Journalism Award (DFJP-PFAJ). Previously, she worked as deputy head of the Public Relations department at the French-German University (DFH-UFA) in Saarbrücken. She spent several years in Paris, France where she worked at the International Relations department of EPF Graduate School of Engineering. Ms Müller holds a Master's degree in Cultural and Political Sciences from the Saarland University as well as a Master's degree in interdisciplinary French-German Studies from the Université Paris III, France.
She is fluent in German, French and English.
Frauke Selbmann started working as Executive Assistant at the Nuremberg Academy in December 2014, right after its official founding. Previously, she was the Executive Assistant for a Construction Engineering office near Nuremberg. Prior to that she worked at the headquarter office of Siemens' "Technical Support Industry" for five years. She started working within the international customer support and was later the Assistant of the Department Head for four years. In 2009 she concluded her vocational training as Foreign Language Administrative Assistant, with a focus on English and Spanish language. After her A-levels she worked for one year as a volunteer in Madrid, as part of the European Voluntary Service, supporting the "Fundación Alicia Koplowitz".
She is fluent in German and English and proficient in Spanish.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Foundation Board
- Bavarian Minister of State for Justice
Job Titles:
- Senior Officer for Interdisciplinary Research
Jolana Makraiová is an international lawyer specialising in international criminal, international humanitarian and human rights law. She has worked on criminal cases before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. She also has experience working as a Human Rights Officer for the Stahili Foundation, where she focused on reporting and researching on children's rights in conflict areas. Ms Makraiová obtained her law degrees, both with a distinction, in the Netherlands (an LLB in international and European law, with a specialisation in international criminal and humanitarian law) and in the United Kingdom (an LLM in Criminal Justice).
She is fluent in English and Slovak.
Kiran Mohandas Menon is a lawyer specialised in international criminal law, public international law, international human rights law and transitional justice. Apart from his long association with the Nuremberg Academy (including a stint with its Founding Office), Mr Menon has extensive international experience having worked on international law and human rights matters in Sri Lanka, Spain, Greece, Ireland and Germany. He has also worked on preparing briefs for universal jurisdiction proceedings for a British-Spanish law firm and taught courses on international human rights law at the Irish Centre for Human Rights at the University of Galway. He holds degrees in international law and international relations.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Foundation Board
- Lord Mayor of the City of Nuremberg
Pauline Martini is specialised in international criminal law and transitional justice. She holds a Master's Degree in Criminal Law from the University of Liège (Belgium) and an LL.M. in Public International Law from Leiden University (The Netherlands). She is about to complete her PhD at Queen Mary University of London (United Kingdom), where she has studied the impacts of the decision of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to close the preliminary examination over the situation in Colombia. She also has a research interest in the prosecution of environmental crimes under international criminal law.
Ms Martini has worked as a staff member and consultant for different international criminal tribunals and NGOs, including the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. She participated in the drafting of a communication to the ICC Prosecutor on the commission of crimes against humanity in the Brazilian Amazon. Ms Martini has teaching experience in public international law, criminal law as well as law and public policy at Brussels University (Belgium), Queen Mary University of London (United Kingdom) and the University of Oxford (United Kingdom) and has published in peer-reviewed journals.
Ms Martini is fluent in French and English and proficient in Spanish.
Petra Haertel is working as Head of Administration at the International Nuremberg Principles Academy since March 2015. Before joining the Academy she had been working for many years at the German Federal Foreign Office in different countries and positions. After completing her studies in Public Administration Ms Haertel moved to Moscow and worked at the Consular Section of the German Embassy. Her next posting sent her to the German Embassy in Santiago de Chile where she worked as Consular Officer as well as in the Department for Press and Development Cooperation. After a four year's stay in Berlin working for the Press Department of the Federal Foreign Office Ms Haertel moved to Hanoi. Her assignment in Vietnam was followed by a posting at the German Embassy in Cairo, Egypt. Back in Berlin she served as desk officer in the department for Northern Africa and the Transformation of the Arab World.
She is fluent in German, English and Spanish.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Foundation Board
- Legal Adviser, Head of Legal Department, Federal Foreign Office