John E. Read Medal
The John E. Read Medal is awarded by the CCIL to commemorate the life and work of John Erskine Read, Q.C., a distinguished Canadian lawyer and the only Canadian judge elected to the International Court of Justice.
The Read Medal is awarded to Canadians (including permanent residents of Canada), who have made a distinguished contribution in fostering the development, better understanding, or application of international law. The Read Medal is also awarded to other individuals who have made an outstanding contribution in fostering the development, better understanding, or application of international law in fields of special interest to Canada.
About John E. Read, Q.C.
John E. Read was the first recipient of the Medal. He was a Rhodes Scholar and a Professor and Dean of Law at Dalhousie University in the 1920s. He served as the first Legal Advisor of the Department of External Affairs and rose to be Deputy UnderSecretary of State (1928-46). Professor Read was a major contributor to the doctrine of the divisibility of the Crown and seized on opportunities to extend Canada’s legal independence.
Professor Read was an expert in constitutional and international law and wrote “The Origins and Nature of the Law” (1955) and “The Rule of Law on the International Plane” (1961). He served as a Judge of the International Court of Justice at The Hague (1946-58).
2021 Recipient: Judge Kimberly Prost
Judge Kimberly Prost
Kimberly Prost is currently a judge at the International Criminal Court (ICC). After election in December 2017, she was sworn in as a judge in March 2018 for a term of nine years. She is currently President of the Trial Division and is serving on Trial Chamber X in the case of Prosecutor v. Al Hassan (Mali).
Prior to her election as judge of the ICC, Ms. Prost served as Chef de Cabinet for the President of the ICC for two years.
Before joining the ICC, she was appointed in 2010 as the first Ombudsperson for the Security Council Al Qaida Sanctions Committee. In this capacity, she handled over 60 cases in a five-year period. She also succeeded in introducing general principles of fair process and the rule of law, into the highly politicized context of the UN Security Council sanctions procedures. To accomplish this, she engaged with the diplomatic, legal, policy, media and academic spheres to argue for the advancement of institutional policies for fair process and transparency.
In July 2006, after election by the United Nations General Assembly, she was appointed to sit as an ad litem judge of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia on a multi-accused trial (Popovic et al) related to events at Srebrenica and Zepa. Judge Prost has also worked in a management capacity for the Commonwealth Secretariat in London and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in Vienna.
Earlier in her career, Judge Prost worked for the Canadian Department of Justice for 18 years appearing before all levels of the Canadian courts, including the Supreme Court.