TPI: o primeiro lugar é para a Gâmbia

Fatou Bensouda, a former Gambian justice minister, has been sworn in as the International Criminal Court's new chief prosecutor in The Hague. She becomes the first African to hold the post. She is taking over from Argentinian Luis Moreno Ocampo, who is stepping down after nearly a decade in office. The BBC's Anna Holligan says one of Ms Bensouda's earliest priorities will be bringing Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of the late Libyan leader, to justice. Ms Bensouda will also be overseeing the ICC's first trial of a former head of state, when the Ivory Coast's ex-President Laurent Gbagbo appears in court. Liberia's former leader, Charles Taylor, was tried by a UN-backed court trying those responsible for the atrocities during Sierra Leone's civil war. 'Calm and sensitive' At the swearing-in ceremony in The Hague, Ms Bensouda praised the work conducted by her predecessor and promised to make the victims of crime her priority. "As I begin my tenure, moving forward in consolidating current practices, the office will continue to forge ahead with its investigations and prosecutions," she said. "It will, in particular, also continue to look for innovative methods for the collection of evidence to bring further gender crimes and crimes against children to the court, to ensure effective prosecutions of these crimes while respecting and protecting the victims." Ms Bensouda has spent the past eight years serving as Mr Moreno-Ocampo's deputy. Our correspondent says that although Ms Bensouda is not new to The Hague, her appointment comes at a time when international justice is increasingly in the spotlight. ----- BBC Fatou Bensouda at a glance Grew up in the Gambian capital, Banjul Father was a civil servant Studied law in Lagos, Nigeria Became The Gambia's first international maritime law expert Joined the justice ministry in 1987 as a deputy public prosecutor Became Gambian attorney general and justice minister in 1998 Worked for Tanzania-based International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda Deputy chief prosecutor at the ICC from 2004-2012 Becomes ICC chief prosecutor June 2012