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Judge Antonio Balsamo was appointed President of the Court of Palermo in July 2021. He further served as Professor of Criminal law at the Faculty of Law of the LUMSA in Palermo. He previously served as President of the Court of Assize of Caltanissetta from 2011 to 2018, and as Deputy Prosecutor General of the Italian Supreme Court of Cassation from 2016 to 2018. Prior to this, Judge Balsamo was Judge seconded to the Italian Supreme Court of Cassation from 2007 to 2011 and Judge of the Court of Palermo from 1992 to 2007. He also served as Presiding Member of the Human Rights Review Panel of EULEX in Kosovo from May 2010 to May 2012. Judge Balsamo participated as an expert and consultant in EU projects concerning the reform of the Criminal Code of Bulgaria, the establishment of a Public Prosecutors Office to deal with organized crime and corruption in the FYROM, and human trafficking in Turkey. He was a member of several Italian judicial committees and boards. Judge Balsamo holds a law degree from the University of Palermo (Italy), and received his specialization Diploma in Regional and Local Government Law from the University of Palermo. He was appointed as a trainee Judge in 1991. He has published extensively on various topics related to criminal law and the protection of human rights at both the national and international level.

Judge Kai Ambos has been serving as the Head of the Department of Foreign and International Criminal Law and Chair of Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Comparative Law and International Criminal Law at the University of Göttingen (Germany) since May 2003. He was appointed Director of the Centro de Estudios de Derecho Penal y Procesal Penal Latinoamericano (CEDPAL) of the University of Göttingen in 2013. He also served as Defence Counsel and consultant at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia and the International Criminal Court. Since March 2006, Judge Ambos has been serving as a part-time Judge at the Provincial Court of Lower Saxony in Göttingen, from where he was delegated to the Appeals Court Braunschweig for 2015. Judge Ambos studied law and political science at the universities of Freiburg im Breisgau (Germany), Oxford (UK) and Munich (Germany). He passed his first State Examination in 1990 and his second State Examination, enabling him to practice law, in 1994. Judge Ambos obtained his PhD in 1992 and his habilitation in 2001 (both at the University of München). He has published extensively in the field of criminal law and procedure, comparative law and international criminal law.

Judge Mappie Veldt-Foglia has been serving as Judge at the Court of Appeal of The Hague since 2010, where she is a member of the Human Trafficking and International Crimes Chambers. Prior to that, since 2006, she served as Judge at the Court of First Instance of The Hague on matters of (international) criminal law and extradition. Previously, from 1997 to 2005, she worked at the criminal law department of the Scientific Bureau of the Dutch Supreme Court. While working there, she was also assigned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as substitute agent before the European Court of Human Rights in 2001. She taught criminal law, criminal procedure and European criminal law at Tilburg University and the Erasmus University in Rotterdam (Netherlands). Judge Veldt-Foglia holds a law degree from Tilburg University and a postgraduate degree in European law from Université libre de Bruxelles (Belgium). She obtained her PhD in Human Rights and Criminal Procedure from Tilburg University. She has published widely in the field of criminal law and procedure, as well as European criminal law and she has lectured on European law, human trafficking and criminal (procedural) law.

Judge Christoph Barthe has been serving as Public Prosecutor at the German Federal Court of Justice since 2010, where he specializes in the prosecution of war crimes and genocide. Prior to that, from 2009 to 2010, he served as Public Prosecutor in Munich, dealing with cases of environmental and general criminal law. He was appointed as Judge at a local court of Rosenheim (Germany) (2008-2009), where he performed the functions of investigating and trial Judge, and as Public Prosecutor in Traunstein (2005-2007). Prior to that, between 2004 and 2005, he worked as a post-graduate research assistant at the University of Göttingen (Germany). Prior to that, he worked as a Judge at the District Court of Bonn (2002-2003), and as an attorney-at-law (2001-2002). Judge Barthe studied law at the University of Bonn and the University of Leiden (Netherlands). He holds a law degree from Bonn University (Germany), and obtained his PhD in International Criminal Law from the University of Göttingen. He is also part-time lecturer in criminal law, criminal procedure, international criminal law and international humanitarian law, inter alia, at the European Judicial Training Network (EJTN) and the German Judicial Academy and has published widely in the field of international and domestic criminal law.

Judge Vladimir Mikula served as a EULEX Judge from 2011 until 2017. He has also been serving as Judge in the Northern Bohemia region of the Czech Republic since 2007. Prior to that, he worked as lawyer advising financial institutions in Prague. Judge Mikula holds a law degree from Prague University (Czech Republic).

Judge Guénaël  Mettraux has  advised  States,  individuals  and  NGOs  in  the  context  of proceedings  before  the  International  Criminal  Court  and  in  relation  to  the  investigation  and prosecution  of  international  crimes.  He  also  served  as  Defence  Counsel  and  consultant  in high-profile war crimes and terrorism cases before the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former  Yugoslavia,  the  Special  Tribunal  for  Lebanon,  the  Extraordinary  Chambers  in  the Courts of Cambodia and the International Criminal Court. Judge Mettraux was the President and a Panel Member of EULEX’s Human Rights Review Panel. He is Adjunct Professor at the Irish Center of Human Rights (National University of Ireland, Galway) and a Guest Professor at  the  University  of  Fribourg  (Switzerland). Judge  Mettraux  holds  a  law  degree  from  the University of Lausanne (Switzerland), an LLM in International Law (University College London) and  a  PhD  degree  (London  School  of  Economics  and  Political  Science). He  has  published extensively in the field of international criminal law.

Judge Roumen H. Nenkov served as a Judge on the Constitutional Court of Bulgaria from 2009 to 2018. Prior to that, he served as a Judge on the Supreme Court of Cassation (1992-2009), acted as Deputy Chairperson of the Court and Head of its Criminal College. His judicial career began as a junior Judge on the Sofia City Court (1980-1983) and continued as a Judge on the Sofia Regional Court (1984-1989) and as a senior Judge and Deputy Chairperson on the Sofia City Court (1991-1992). In 1990, Judge Nenkov acted as Secretary-General at the Ministry of Justice of Bulgaria. Judge Nenkov holds a law degree from the University of Sofia. He is a member of the Association of the Bulgarian Scientists and has published widely in the field of constitutional law, criminal law, criminal procedure and international protection of human rights. As an expert, he was involved in EU projects related to the judicial reform in the countries of the Western Balkans and in UN training project for criminal judges of Kazakhstan.

Judge Gilbert Bitti has been serving as a Senior Legal Adviser at the International Criminal Court (ICC) Pre-Trial Division (2005-present). He further acted as Chief of the Victims Participation and Reparations Section of the ICC (2003) and as Deputy to the Chief of the Legal Advisory Section in the Office of the Prosecutor of the ICC (2004-2005). He was counsel for the French Government before the European Court for Human Rights (1993- 2001) and was a member of the French delegation during the negotiations of the Rome Statute and the ICC Rules of Procedure and Evidence. From 1991 to 1993, Judge Bitti was an Assistant Professor at the University of Paris II (Pantheon-Assas, France). Judge Bitti continues to teach at a number of universities in France (Lille and Paris) and Spain (Barcelona). Judge Bitti has published extensively in the areas of international criminal and human rights law in English, French and Spanish. Judge Bitti is a member of the Advisory Board for the Center for International Law and Policy (CILRAP). Judge Bitti holds law degrees (Master in Law with specialisation in judicial careers and DEA – diplôme d’études approfondies - in Criminal Law) from the University of Paris II (Pantheon-Assas, France).

Judge Daniel Fransen has been serving as a Judge at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon since 2009. Before that, he served as an investigative Judge at the Tribunal of First Instance in Brussels (1998 to 2009), working on, inter alia, terrorism cases, serious violations of international humanitarian law and gross human rights violations. Prior thereto, Judge Fransen worked as a defence counsel and as a lawyer in the public service from 1989 to 1995. Judge Fransen holds a law degree of the Université Catholique de Louvain (Belgium) and was a member of the Brussels Bar.

Judge Romina Incutti has last served as a Judge at the Surveillance Court of Rome 2018-2021. She previously served as a Legal Advisor of the Italian Embassy in Washington DC (2016-2018), as Legal Advisor of the Office of the Agent of the Italian Government before the European Court of Human Rights, as a Legal Advisor of the Service for Legal Affairs, Diplomatic Disputes and International Agreements (2012-2016), and as a Magistrate Advisor at the General Directorate of Criminal Justice in the Italian Ministry of Justice (2010-2012). Prior to that, Judge Incutti served as a Judge at the Criminal Court in Rome (1996-1997 and 2000-2010) and as a Public Prosecutor in Sicily (1997-2000). She also held numerous positions, inter alia, as Italian National Correspondent of Eurojust and National Correspondent of European Judicial Network - EJN (2010-2012); National Expert of the Pilot Project for the Review of UNTOC, and others. She is trainer and university lecturer in International Human Rights Law (IHRL) and published on the European Convention of Human Rights and Terrorism related topics.

Judge Incutti holds a Degree and LLM in Law and a Master of Advanced Studies (MAS -LLM) in International Law of Armed Conflict.