On March 19, the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, announced that Mexico's first judge on the court, Judge Socorro Flores Liera, and Judge Gocha Lordkipanidze, a Georgian national, would take office on May 1 after the Easter recess. Of the six new judges elected by the 19th Assembly of States Parties last December, they were the only two called on to take up their duties on that date.
The call for Judge Socorro Flores Liera to take office on May 1st is a milestone in her career and comes in recognition of her professional qualifications. It is also a recognition of Mexico's legal tradition and its foreign policy commitment to international law. It validates Mexico's participation and support for the International Criminal Court, and is a tangible result of the Mexican government's feminist foreign policy.
The Court summons for Judges Flores Liera and Lordkipanidze was made public as part of its announcement of the appointment of judges to the court's three divisions (Appeals, Trial and Pre-Trial).