Nick Kaufman

Nick Kaufman
Kaufman in 2014
Born	Nicholas Kaufman (1968-05-17) 17 May 1968 Liverpool, England, United Kingdom
Education	King Edward's School, Birmingham Magdalene College, Cambridge
Occupation	Lawyer

Nick Kaufman is a British-born Israeli lawyer specializing in international criminal law and international arbitration. He was called to the Bar of England & Wales in 1991 and to the Bar of Israel in 1995. He later attended the École Nationale d'Administration (ENA) in Paris for post-graduate studies. He formerly worked as senior district attorney in the Office of the District Attorney of Jerusalem from 1996, later as a prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia and, subsequently, at the International Criminal Court in The Hague until he left to become defence counsel.

Clients

Kaufman has advised and represented a number of high-profile international personalities including Jean-Pierre Bemba (the ex-Vice President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo),^[1][2] Callixte Mbarushimana - the alleged Executive Secretary of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda ("FDLR"),^[3][4] Kang Kek Iew a.k.a “Duch” (the Commander of the Khmer Rouge prison – Tuol Sleng (“S-21”),^[5] Saadi Gaddafi,^[6] his sister Aisha Gaddafi ^[7] and Charles Blé Goudé.^[8][9][10]

Victims' Advocacy

In addition to defence work, Kaufman has acted on behalf of various groups of victims - especially in Africa. In 2014, Kaufman called for the prosecution of Agathon Rwasa and Pasteur Habimana of the National Forces of Liberation ("FNL") in Burundi on account of their alleged responsibility for the Gatumba Massacre in 2004.^[11][12] His pro-active and, at times, aggressive representation of Darfur victims at the International Criminal Court in the case against Omar al-Bashir of Sudan^[13] has earned him the dubious sobriquet - "the Octopus Lawyer".^[14] Indeed, Kaufman was particularly critical of the decision of the International Criminal Court Prosecutor - Fatou Bensouda - to shelve her investigations in Darfur in December 2014.^[15]

References