John Hocking (born 6 August 1957) of Australia is the United Nations Assistant Secretary-General, Registrar of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY).[1] He served concurrently as the Registrar of the Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals (UNMICT)[2] from January 2012 until December 2016.
John Hocking
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| Assistant Secretary-General, Registrar, International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia | |
| In office 15 May 2009 – 31 December 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Hans Holthuis |
| Assistant Secretary-General, Registrar, Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals | |
| In office January 2012 – 31 December 2016 | |
| Succeeded by | Olufemi Elias |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Frederick Hocking (1957-08-06) 6 August 1957 (age 66) Melbourne, Australia |
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United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appointed Hocking for two terms, first on 15 May 2009 and again on 15 May 2013, to head the Registry of the ICTY, a neutral organ of the Tribunal which provides legal, diplomatic and administrative support to Judges, Prosecution and Defence.[3] He was appointed for a third term by Secretary-General António Guterres on 15 May 2017 to support the completion of the Tribunal's work until its closure on 31 December 2017.[4]
The United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also appointed Hocking on 18 January 2012 as the first Registrar of the Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals and entrusted him with its effective start-up.[5]
Hocking joined the ICTY in 1997 as the legal officer coordinator on the ICTY's first multi-accused proceedings, the Celebici case. He subsequently served as Senior Legal Officer for the common Appeals Chambers of the ICTY and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.[6] He was the ICTY Deputy Registrar from 2004-09.[7]
Prior to his engagement with the United Nations, he held legal and policy adviser positions internationally and domestically, including with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris, the Australian Government's national multicultural television and radio broadcaster, the Special Broadcasting Service, the British Film Institute in London and the Australian Film Commission.[citation needed] In his early career, Hocking served as the legal associate to Justice Michael Kirby, former Judge of the High Court of Australia, and to London-based human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson Q.C.[citation needed]
Hocking has been called to the bar at Lincoln's Inn, London, and has been admitted as a barrister/solicitor with the Supreme Court of Victoria and Supreme Court of New South Wales in Australia. He holds a Master of Law with merit from the University of London (London School of Economics and Political Science), a Bachelor of Law from the University of Sydney,[8] and a Bachelor of Science from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. He studied at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.[citation needed]