The Faculty of Law (UP Law) at the University of Pretoria is proud to announce that one of its cum laude alumna from the LLB Class of 2015, Emilia Pabian, was appointed as a legal intern in the Office of the Prosecutor of the United Nations International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals in The Hague at the beginning of September 2020.

In mid-2019, Pabian, an admitted attorney, notary and conveyancer, left Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr Inc to pursue an LLM in Public International Law at Leiden University in The Netherlands.  ‘All in all, I can say it was one of the best decisions I have ever made and it has been an incredibly enriching experience. It was a privilege to have the opportunity to study at such a prestigious and world renowned university which welcomes students from all over the world.’

The LLM covered various aspects of international law, but Pabian’s passion was for the fields international humanitarian law, international human rights law, refugee law and terrorism.  She also enjoyed the independent research for which the course allowed.

Pabian’s LLM thesis, titled 'Prolonged Occupation and Exploitation of Natural Resources: A Focus on Natural Gas off the Coast of Northern Cyprus', was completed under supervision of Dr Robert Heinsch, Associate Professor of Public International Law at Leiden University and Director of the Kalshoven-Gieskes Forum on International Humanitarian Law.  According to Pabian, ‘it was a great experience to discuss ideas with and be guided by a specialist in the field.’

Pabian further says that ‘Undoubtedly, the biggest hurdle was having a global pandemic start in the middle of my degree. In March, when all our lectures were to continue remotely, I decided to come back to SA to be with my family. It was quite disappointing not to be able to finish the academic year together as a class, but we all knew that it was for the best and we made the most of it. Our lecturers were very accommodating and flexible, knowing that students had gone back to different time zones and economic situations. Regardless of the challenges, I managed to complete all my courses, write my thesis and graduate cum laude.’

After completion of her internship, Pabian aims to become involved in a career in academia and research and intends to do a PhD. ‘However, I am not casting anything in stone and will see where life takes me - I think 2020 has shown us all that nothing is ever certain.’

UP Law is very proud of your accomplishments, Emilia, and wishes you the very best for your future.