Peter Haynes (lawyer)

Peter Haynes, QC (born 1960) is a British barrister specialising in international criminal and humanitarian law. He has appeared in a number of landmark cases before the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL).
 
In June 2019,Peter Haynes addressing the International Criminal Court’s Assembly of States Parties, 3 December 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzPFQmLjH6c, accessed on 5 February 2020. See also Peter Hayne’s speech at the opening of the ICC Judicial year, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5YIbyTqPNQ&feature=youtu.be The ICC marks the opening of the Judicial Year 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5YIbyTqPNQ&feature=youtu.be, 23 January 2020, accessed on 5 January 2020 he was elected PresidentInternational Criminal Court Bar Association, Executive Council, President, https://www.iccba-abcpi.org/executive-council. of the International Criminal Court Bar Association (ICCBA),https://www.iccba-abcpi.org/ and was re-elected in September 2020, becoming the first person to hold office for two terms. He previously held the office of Vice-President of the Association of Defence Counsel for International Criminal Tribunals (ADC-ICT)https://www.adc-ict.org/ in 2019. 
==Education and early career==
Haynes was educated at Rendcomb College, Cirencester (1972-78) and graduated in law from the University of Birmingham (1982). He was called to the Bar of England and Wales by Gray’s Inn in 1983, and appointed to Queen’s Counsel in 2008. He is a member of St Philip’s ChambersSt Philips Barristers, https://st-philips.com/. in Birmingham, England. 
==Career in international law==
From 1999 to 2000, Haynes appeared as defence counsel at the ICTY, in the case of Avramović & Simić ,ICTY, Milan Simic and Branislav Avramovic, 29 March 2000, https://www.icty.org/en/case/contempt_avramovic_simic, accessed on 5 January 2020. securing the acquittal of both defendants.Simic and Avramovic found not guilty of Contempt of Court, International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, 29 March 2000, https://www.icty.org/en/press/simic-and-avramovic-found-not-guilty-contempt-court, accessed on 5 February 2020.
At the same tribunal, Haynes later acted as lead counsel to General Vinko Pandurević, an accused in a case concerning the Srebrenica massacre (Popovic et al., 2006-2014).ICTY, Prosecutor v. Popovic et al. (IT-05-88), Defence Opening Statements (Part 1/3), 27 January 2009, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkzZ7U6UVLk, accessed on 5 February 2020; ICTY, Prosecutor v. Popovic et al. (IT-05-88), Defence Opening Statements (Part 2/3), 27 January 2009, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eacgkJ30jcQ, accessed on 5 February 2020; ICTY, Prosecutor v. Popovic et al. (IT-05-88), Defence Opening Statements (Part 3/3), 27 January 2009, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmPWKwGsENQ, accessed on 5 February 2020. Pandurević was acquitted of the more serious offences on the indictment but sentenced to 13 years imprisonment, and released in 2014.
Most notably, at the ICC, Haynes, as Lead Counsel, successfully defended Jean Pierre Bemba, a former Vice-President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in a high profile case involving alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Central African Republic, resulting in Bemba’s complete acquittal on appeal (2010-2018).ICC, Judgment on the appeal of Mr Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo against Trial Chamber III’s “Judgment pursuant to Article 74 of the Statute”, 8 June 2018, https://www.icc-cpi.int/Pages/record.aspx?docNo=ICC-01/05-01/08-3636-Red, accessed 27 February 2020; The Guardian, O. Bowcott, Jean-Pierre Bemba's war crimes conviction overturned, 8 June 2018, https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2018/jun/08/former-congo-leader-jean-pierre-bemba-wins-war-crimes-appeal-international-criminal-court,accessed on 4 February 2020; Justice Hub, Bemba’s lawyer: The fact that there are victims doesn’t mean that the man in the dock is guilty, 12 June 2018, https://justicehub.org/article/bembas-lawyer-the-fact-that-there-are-victims-doesnt-mean-that-the-man-in-the-dock-is-guilty/, accessed on 12 June 2018. See also, Bemba Case: ICC Appeals Chamber hearings, 9 - 11 January 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=807et9M14cI, accessed on 5 February 2020; Bemba case: ICC Appeals Chamber Judgement, 8 June 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_NK5nopbsM, accessed on 5 February 2020; SABC Digital News, SABC catches up with Jean-Pierre Bemba's lead defence lawyer Peter Haynes, 6 July 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MieFVXO19X4, accessed on 6 February 2020. 
Following Bemba’s acquittal, Haynes filed a claim for damages against the ICC, on Bemba’s behalf, totalling €68.8 million, for unlawful incarceration, aggravated damages, legal fees, and damage to property .D. Crane, Jean-Pierre Bemba’s Request for Compensation for Damages from the International Criminal Court, JURIST – Professional Commentary, 9 June 2019, https://www.jurist.org/commentary/2019/06/david-crane-jean-pierre-bembas/, accessed on 4 February 2020; W. Wakabi, Defence Lawyers Make the Case for Bemba’s Compensation by the ICC, 10 May 2019, https://www.ijmonitor.org/2019/05/defense-lawyers-make-the-case-for-bembas-compensation-by-the-icc/, accessed on 4 February 2020; Bemba Case: Status Conference, Hearing on Request for compensation, 09 May 2019 (ENGLISH), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWJZU0Z_JTM, accessed on 5 February 2020.
Between 2012 and 2021, Haynes acted as the Lead Counsel for the participating victims at the STL in the Ayyash et al. case,Ayyash et al. case opens at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, Special Tribunal for Lebanon https://www.stl-tsl.org/en/media/press-releases/2799-ayyash-et-al-case-opens-at-the-special-tribunal-for-lebanon, 16 January 2014, accessed on 13 February 2020; Conclusion of the closing arguments in the Ayyash et. al case, Special Tribunal for Lebanon, 21 September 2018, https://www.stl-tsl.org/en/media/press-releases/6290-conclusion-of-the-closing-arguments-in-the-ayyash-et-al-case, accessed on 13 February 2020; What will the Legal Representative of Victims’ case involve?, 22 August 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ayx9IVgcS9s, accessed on 13 February 2020; What is the Role of the Legal Representative of Victims, 24 August 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9Eti5wNtGQ, accessed on 13 February 2020. involving international terrorism and the 14 February 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime-Minister, Rafik Hariri. 
==Domestic and other legal activities==
In 2018, Haynes acted as lead trial counsel on behalf of 34 Cypriot claimants, in a class-action lawsuit against the British government in relation to the torture of prisoners dating back to the 1950’s.Sophocleous et Ors -vs- Secretary of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Anor. The action was compromised when the UK agreed to pay compensation to the alleged victims.D. Kuczora, Birmingham Live, Cyprus ‘torture victims’ win £1 million payout from Government, 18 March 2019, https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/1m-payout-victims-cyprus-torture-15980001, accessed on February 5, 2020. Also https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2019-01-23/HCWS1269.
Haynes acts as an independent consultant on international criminal law matters, advising both governments and heads of state. In 2016, he was part of a commission which reported on the promotion of restorative justice in Sri Lanka.Hon Peter HAYNES QC, Statement at Sri Lanka Monitoring Accountability Panel (MAP), 10 March 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ME7lVH4NP8, accessed on 5 February 2020.
Haynes is currently a senior consultant counsel to Legal Action Worldwide (LAW),Legal Action Worldwide, http://www.legalactionworldwide.org/. an organisation which represents victims in conflict zones throughout the world. In that capacity, he acts for groups of victims, inter alia, in Bangladesh and South Sudan.
==Other activities==
Haynes is a lecturer and trainer in international criminal law, and has been regularly invited to speak on the complex functioning of international criminal courts and their proceedings,Peter Haynes QC speaks at the UN/Human Rights Council in Geneva, 18 September 2019, https://st-philips.com/peter-haynes-qc-speaks-at-the-un-human-rights-council-in-geneva/, accessed on 5 February 2020. the accessibility of the courts and tribunals to victims, and has contributed with various articles on international criminal law.Legal Action Worldwide, Team, http://www.legalactionworldwide.org/team/.
A lover of sport, Haynes has been the President of Moseley Ashfield Cricket Club in Birmingham since 2010, having previously held the post of Chairman.
Category:1960 births
Category:British barristers
Category:Alumni of the University of Birmingham