Press Release . Communiqué de presse
(Exclusively for the use of the media. Not an official document)

CC/PIO/257-E
The Hague, 6 November 1997

JUDGE HAOPEI LI DIES AT THE AGE OF 91

The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia announces with deep sadness the death of Judge Haopei Li (China). Judge Li passed away in the early hours of Thursday 6 November 1997 at the age of 91.

After a brief illness, Judge Li died at the Red Cross Hospital, in The Hague, where he had been hospitalised since early October.

Elected in 1993 as one of the first eleven Judges of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, Judge Li was a member of the Appeals Chamber.

Prior to his appointment to the ICTY, Judge Li was Legal Adviser to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Beijing and a part-time Professor of International Law at Peking University. He was also a member of the Institute of International Law and of the Permanent Court of Arbitration. On a number of occasions, he has represented China on international committees and he was the Chinese representative to the United Nations Conference on the Law of Treaties between States and International Organizations.

Upon learning of the death of Judge Li, the President of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, Judge Antonio Cassese, expressed his "deep sorrow at the loss of a wonderful colleague whose contribution to the work of the Tribunal, and more specifically of the Appeals Chamber, has been invaluable. Judge Li was an extremely wise and perceptive Judge as well as a scholar with an unparalleled experience of international law. Judge Li was a kind and gentle person, respected by his colleagues for his enlightening views and admired for his strong belief in the cause of justice".