india

Updated: Jul 17, 2019 12:46 IST

At 6.30 pm IST, all eyes will be on ICJ judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf, who will deliver the verdict in Kulbhushan Jadhav case, where the ex-Indian Navy officer has been sentenced to death by Pakistani military court for alleged involvement in spying.

President of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Judge Yusuf will read out the verdict at a public sitting being convened at Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands. The judge, in his multi-dimensional past, has been a professor, author and editor.

Also Read | Kulbhushan Jadhav: A ‘shy man’ who kept to himself

A member of the ICJ since February 6, 2009, Judge Yusuf was appointed as president of the ICJ on February 6, 2018. He earlier served as the court’s vice- president for three years starting from February 6, 2015. The Somalian-born judge’s elevation as president was widely hailed by the legal fraternity.

Yusuf’s previous positions include legal adviser and director of the Office of International Standards and Legal Affairs for UNESCO legal advisor and assistant director general for African Affairs, United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).

He has also been guest professor and lecturer at a number of universities and institutes in Switzerland, Italy, Greece and France.

Yusuf is the founder and general editor of the African Yearbook of International Law and is a Member of the Institut de droit international (Geneva). He is also one of the founders of the African Foundation for International Law, as well as the chairperson of its Executive Committee.

Also Read | Have concrete proof against Kulbushan Jadhav, says Pakistan foreign minister

Yusuf has also authored several books and numerous articles on various aspects of international law as well as articles and op-ed pieces in newspapers on current Northeast African and Somali affairs.

Jadhav, 49, a retired Indian Navy officer, was sentenced to death by the Pakistani military court on charges of “espionage and terrorism” after a closed trial in April 2017. His sentencing evoked a sharp reaction in India.

The verdict in the high-profile case comes nearly five months after a 15-member bench of ICJ led by Judge Yusuf had reserved its decision on February 21 after hearing oral submissions by India and Pakistan. The proceedings of the case took two years and two months to complete.

Also Read | In the cause of peace, Kulbhushan Jadhav must not die