Association of Defence Counsel

Dragan Dan Ivetić is currently Lead Counsel for Ratko Mladić before the Mechanism, a member of the ADC-ICT Training Committee, and vice-president/director of the International Innocence Project, a not-for-profit that works to prevent wrongful convictions, free the innocent and create fair, compassionate, and equitable systems of justice for everyone.  He maintains his own law practice in Chicago and has previously defended several persons before the ICTY and IRMCT, in addition to being a Past President of the ADC-ICT. 

Sarah Bafadhel is member of the Bar of England and Wales with fifteen years’ experience specialising in international criminal law, public international law and human rights law.  Sarah has defended clients in international and national institutions including the International Criminal Court, International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, Special Tribunal for Lebanon and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia as well as the European Court of Justice. She is regularly instructed to provide legal consultation and advice to governments and NGOs across Europe, Africa and the Middle East in relation to the implementation, enforcement and consequences of international obligations arising from treaties, judicial decisions and regulatory measures. Sarah has an LLM specialising in public international law from King’s College London and is fluent in Arabic. 

Kate Gibson has been representing accused before the international criminal courts and tribunals since 2005, including as Co-Counsel of Jean-Pierre Bemba and Bosco Ntaganda before the ICC, Co-Counsel of Charles Taylor before the SCSL, and Co-Counsel of Radovan Karadžić before the IRMCT.  At the ICTR, she was Lead Counsel of Justin Mugenzi and Co-Counsel of Jean-Baptiste Gatete. Currently, Kate is the Lead Counsel of Paul Rusesabagina, detained in Rwanda, and is part of the legal team of former Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi before the KSC. She also represents a group of Rohingya victims in the Myanmar/Bangladesh pre-trial proceedings before the ICC, and is Lead Counsel of Prosper Mugiraneza, detained Niger, before the IRMCT. Kate is an Associate Tenant of Doughty Street Chambers, holds an LL.M in International Law from Cambridge University.

Peter Haynes, KC is a former President of the International Criminal Court Bar Association (“ICCBA”). He is a British barrister with more than 30 years’ experience in both domestic and international criminal courts. He acted as the Lead Counsel for Jean Pierre Bemba at the International Criminal Court between 2010 and 2018, famously securing his complete acquittal on appeal. He is the Lead Legal Representative of Victims at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. He is one of the very few practitioners who have led cases before the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (where he appeared for the defence of General Vinko Pandurevic in relation to the Srebrenica massacre), the International Criminal Court and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, He has appeared in cases involving genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and international terrorism. He has been responsible for the development of the jurisprudence, practice and procedure of the representation of victims in ICL.

Marie O’Leary is a former President of the ADC-ICT and current Counsel for the Office of Public Counsel for the Defence (OPCD) at the ICC. She was previously part of the Defence teams of Naser Orić, Vlastimir Đorđević, Milan Lukić (Lukić & Lukić) and Dragomir Pećanac at the ICTY. She has also worked for the Amicus Prosecutor for contempt proceedings on appeal in the case against Vojislav Šešelj and as an Associate Legal Officer with ICTY Trial Chamber II. In 2010, O’Leary served as a Legal Consultant for the Defence Office at the STL. She was the Head of Office of the ADC-ICTY between 2006 and 2007.  Ms O’Leary is also a lecturer in the Seminaron International Criminal Defence at the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute and has lectured for the Summer School on International Criminal Law of the Grotius Centre of Leiden University. Ms O’Leary holds a Bachelor of Arts (Journalism) degree from the University of St. Thomas. She has worked as an editor and as a marketing director prior to attending the University of St. Thomas School of Law. She graduated with a Juris Doctor in 2006, is licensed to practice in Minnesota and possesses experience with both the Minneapolis City Attorney and Minnesota Public Defenders’ offices.