Mr Andres Parmas is an international criminal law expert of high renown having established practical and academic competence in criminal law, international criminal law and criminal policy, including legislative work. He has more than 20 years of experience as judge, prosecutor and judicial advisor in domestic and international jurisdictions.
Mr Andres Parmas is a member of the Board of Directors of the Trust Fund for Victims of the ICC, has first-hand knowledge of the functioning of the ICC and understanding of the legal framework and jurisprudence of other international criminal courts and tribunals.
Mr Andres Parmas is editor and author of numerous publications on international criminal law, criminal law, criminal procedure and constitutional law.
Selected judicial positions
- Prosecutor General of Estonia
- Member of the Board of Directors of the Trust Fund for Victims of the ICC
- University of Tartu, School of Law, lecturer of criminal law
- Kosovo Specialist Chambers, Judge (in roster) 2017-2020
- Tallinn Circuit Court (appeals court), Criminal Chamber, Judge 2014-2020
- European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX), Legal Officer at the Court of Appeals / Supreme Court of Kosovo 2013-2014
"I am honoured to be the candidate of the Republic of Estonia for election as a judge of the ICC. I very much hope to have the possibility to contribute to the work of the ICC and serve it independently and impartially with dignity and dedication committing to implement the Rome Statute principles that the most serious crimes of concern to the international community as a whole must not go unpunished and delivering justice to victims."
If elected as a judge of the ICC:
- I would strongly contribute to expediting the proceedings at the ICC and making this institution more effective.
- I would make efforts in raising awareness of the ICC, its goals and achievements, as well as bolstering the legitimacy of this important institution.
- I would work for a more efficient reparation system for the victims of crimes investigated by the ICC.
CURRICULUM VITAE
| Date of Birth: | 3 June 1977 |
| Gender: | Male |
| Citizenship: | Republic of Estonia |
| Languages: | Estonian – mother tongue English – fluent French – basic German – fluent Russian – intermediate |
- Practical and academic specialist in criminal law, international criminal law and criminal policy
- More than 20 years of experience as a judge, prosecutor and judicial advisor in domestic and international jurisdictions
- University lecturer and trainer at training events for judges and prosecutors
- Editor and author of numerous publications in international criminal law, criminal law, criminal procedure and constitutional law
- First-hand knowledge of the functioning of the ICC, the Kosovo Specialist Chambers and EULEX Kosovo, understanding of the legal framework and jurisprudence of other international criminal courts and tribunals
- Expertise in management of judicial organisations
- Abundant experience in legislative work, as well as in development of intra-organisational regulations and guidelines for domestic and international judicial organisations
| 2002 – 2005: | University of Tartu Faculty of Law, mag. iur. |
| 1996 – 2002: | University of Tartu Faculty of Law, B.A. (law) |
| 2020 – present: | Prosecutor’s Office, Prosecutor General of Estonia Head of Estonian Prosecutor’s Office. Duties include representation of the Office in public and in the courts, supervision of the entire Estonian prosecution service and general management, international relations, prosecutorial work in the most important criminal investigations, policy-making, participation in various councils and governmental committees, recruitment of prosecutor, communication with the media etc. |
| March 2021- present: |
Trust Fund for Victims of the ICC, Member of the Board of Directors |
| 2003 – present: | University of Tartu, School of Law, lecturer of criminal law Teaching courses on criminal law, criminal policy and international criminal law; instructing moot court teams; supervising master’s theses. |
| 2017 – 2020: | Kosovo Specialist Chambers, Judge (in roster) Participated in the preparation of the chambers for judicial work – drafting and negotiating the Rules of Procedure and Evidence, the Regulations of the Chambers and other relevant internal documentation; participated in the discussions about the judicial policies of the KSC. |
| 2014 – 2020: | Tallinn Circuit Court, Criminal Chamber, Judge Solution of appeals, interlocutory appeals, motions and submissions of the parties in the appeals court, management of court hearings, management and participation in the deliberations of the panel, drafting of judgments, decisions and rulings, supervision of the work of the legal clerks and support staff, communication with the media. |
| 2013 – 2014: | European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX), Legal Officer at the Court of Appeals/Supreme Court of Kosovo Legal officer in the Appellate Court/Supreme Court of Kosovo, dealing with most serious crimes in Kosovo, such as war crimes, terrorist crimes, organised crime, and also ethnically motivated crimes. Advising the international judges; analysing both factual and legal aspects of complex cases that typically involved multiple defendants and large volumes of evidence; participation in court hearings and deliberations; drafting of judicial orders, rulings and judgments. |
| 2003 – 2013: | Supreme Court of Estonia, Criminal Chamber, legal officer Legal officer advising judges of the criminal chamber of the Court or in constitutional cases the judges of the Supreme Court sitting en banc. The work included most of the international crime cases dealt with in the Supreme Court at the time, but also several ground-breaking cases in sexual crime, organised crime, white-collar crime etc. Advising the judges; analysing the legal aspects of the cases, including international criminal law; participation in court hearings and deliberations; drafting of judicial orders, rulings and judgments; annotating the case-law of the Court; preparing the opinions of the Court on draft legislation. |
| 1999 – 2003: | Supreme Court of Estonia, lawyer in legal information department Lawyer systematising and annotating the case-law of first instance courts and appellate courts; compiling the digest of jurisprudence in criminal cases; drafting responses to the persons corresponding to the Supreme Court; participation in the digitalisation of the case-management system in Estonia. |
Estonian presidency of the Council of the EU, Chairman of COPEN working party 2017 (July – Dec). Presided over the working party negotiating a new EU directive on combating fraud and counterfeiting of non-cash means of payment.
Arbeitskreis Völkerstrafrecht (International criminal law working group): member from 2017, participating in the work of the Arbeitskreis during its yearly meetings.
Yearbook of Estonian judiciary: Editor in chief, 2016 – 2019.
Regular publicist and speaker in Estonian media on the topics of international criminal law, Estonian criminal law, criminal procedure and criminal policy.
Legislative work
- Participating in the expert group of revising Estonian criminal procedure legislation: regarding e.g. the rules on cooperation with the ICC, covert measures (ongoing work from 2021);
- Reform proposals with an aim of Estonian criminal policy moving towards more evidence-based approach, achieving an increase in restorative and reparative means (ongoing work from 2021).
- Preparation of an analysis and draft legislation on the implementation into Estonian Penal Code of the definitions of war crimes, crimes against humanity (2011-2013) and the crime of aggression (2018);
- Member of the expert group on the revision of Estonian legislation on defence of the state: preparing an analysis and proposals on the participation of the private individuals and non-military public officials in the defence of Estonian Republic from an armed attack (2016);
- Negotiating the revision of Estonian legislation on human trafficking related offences (2011).
Guest-courses on international criminal law:
- CEELI Institute in Prague, July 2022;
- Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in Kyiv, May 2019;
- Belarus State University in Minsk, April 2017.
- VIII Chapter. Crimes Against Humanity and International Security. In: Penal Code. A Commentary. J. Sootak and P. Pikamäe (ed-s). (Tallinn: Juura, 2021). Co-authored with J. Tehver.
- Landesbericht Estland. In: Die Verjährung als Herausforderung für die grenzüberschreitende Zusammenarbeit in Strafsachen: Entwicklung eines Harmonisierungsvorschlags. G. Hochmayr, W. Gropp (ed-s). (Baden-Baden: Nomos, 2021). Co-authored with J. Sootak.
- Responsibility of the superior according to Estonian Penal law and its compliance with International law. Juridica International Vol 28 (2019).
- Application of domestic criminal statutes in regard of international crimes. Baltic Yearbook of International Law Vol 17 (2019).
- Criminal Law: General Part, 2nd edition together with J. Sootak, E. Elkind, P. Randma and P. Pikamäe. Tallinn: Juura, 2018.
- Country Report on Estonia. In: The Crime of Aggression: A Commentary. C. Kress, S. Barriga (ed-s). (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2017).
- Country Report on Estonia. In: Außerprozessuale Erhebung der Beweisen und Verwertung dieser Beweisen im Strafprozess. P. Hofmanski, (ed). (Krakow, Munich: C.H. Beck, 2015). Co authored with E. Kergandberg.
- Landesberict Estland. Jurisdiktionskonflikte bei grenzüberschreitender Kriminalität. Conflicts of jurisdiction in cross-border crime situations. Ein Rechtsvergleich zum Internationalen Strafrecht. A comparative law study on international criminal law. A. Sinn (ed). (Osnabrück, V&R unipress, 2012). Co-authored with J. Sootak.
- Detention after Service of Sentence Unconstitutional: What next? RiTo 25, 2011. Co authored with R. Kiris.
- Developing the Definition of the Crime of Genocide through National Criminal Laws. In Festschrift in Honour of Raimo Lahti, K. Nuotio (ed). (Helsinki: University of Helsinki, 2007). Co-authored with J. Sootak.
- Prosecution of International Crimes: Estonia. In National Prosecution of International Crimes. Nationale Strafverfolgung Völkerrechtlichen Verbrechen. Vol 5, Canada, Estonia, Greece, Israel, United States of America. A. Eser, U. Sieber, H. Kreicker (ed-s). (Berlin: Duncker & Humblot, 2005). Co-authored with T. Ploom.
- 2022 - Webinar of the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in cooperation with the ICC. “20 years of the ICC: looking back and the way forward. Role of the ICC in the fight against impunity and delivering justice to victims. Cooperation with national authorities”. Moderating a panel on the role and activities of the Trust Fund for Victims
- 2022 - Estonian Academic Society of Law, annual meeting, Tartu, Estonia, “The Crime of Genocide in international law and Ukraine”
- 2022 - The 27th annual conference of the International Association of Prosecutors, Tbilisi, Georgia, “The challenges and possibilities regarding the use of technology in the era of digitalization and globalization from the view of prosecution and investigative authorities”
- 2022 - European Conference of Prosecutors, Palermo, Italy, “Hidden threats to the independence of prosecutors”
- 2021 - International Anti-Corruption Forum – Kleptocracy and Illicit Financial Flows, Kyiv, Ukraine, “Violation of procedural restrictions as a criminal offence”
- 2018 - International Conference on Topical Issues of Crime of Genocide and Human Rights Protection, Sukhumi State University, Tbilisi, Georgia, “Application of Domestic Criminal Statutes in regard of International Crimes”
- 2017 - Memorial Conference for the Victims of Communism and Nazism. The Heritage in 21st Century Europe of the Crimes Committed by Communist Regimes, Tallinn, Estonia, “Investigation of Crimes of Communist regimes”
- Estonian Academic Society of Law
- Arbeitskreis Völkerstrafrecht
- Estonian Reserve Officers' Association, lawyers’ section
Last updated: 20.10.2023
