Melinda Taylor
Melinda Taylor is an Australian criminal lawyer who was arrested and detained in Libya in 2012 after being assigned by the International Criminal Court to defend Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of Muammar Gaddafi.
Early life and education
Taylor is from Brisbane. She graduated from the University of Queensland with an arts/law degree in 1998.[1][2]
Career
Taylor worked as a victims' advocate and in international criminal law.[3] She worked as a researcher for Antonio Cassese, president of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.[3]
Taylor helped set up the International Criminal Court's public defence counsel in 2006 and worked on defence cases before Tribunals in Yugoslavia and Rwanda.[1] She was assigned to provide assistance to Slobodan Milošević when he refused counsel during his trial.[3]
In 2012, Taylor was detained along with her interpreter Helen Assaf from
On 17 January 2013, charges of breaching national security were brought in a Zintan court against al-Islam, and against Taylor and her colleague in absentia.[8]
In 2016, Taylor led Julian Assange's case before the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and has been part of his legal team since 2014.[9][10]
Taylor also advises the
Personal life
Taylor is married to Geoffrey Roberts, who is also an International Criminal Court lawyer. They live in The Hague, Netherlands.[5][3]
References
- ^ a b c d Flitton, Daniel; Callinan, Rory (11 June 2012). "Melinda 'safe and well' in Libya, Carr told". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- ^ "The career of ICC lawyer Melinda Taylor". Perth now. 9 June 2012. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- ^ a b c d "Detained lawyer Melinda Taylor 'woman of integrity'". news.com.au. 12 June 2012. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- ^ a b c d Harding, Luke; Borger, Julian; Stephen, Chris (26 June 2012). "Libya accuses Australian ICC official of passing secret letter to Gaddafi's son". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- ^ a b c d e Vasek, Lanai; Rout, Milanda (3 July 2012). "Australian lawyer Melinda Taylor, freed after being held in Libya, is reunited with her family". The Australian. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- ^ "Melinda Taylor 'I'm free, now let's help Gaddafi's son'". The Daily Telegraph. 8 July 2012. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- ^ Lamloum, Imed (3 July 2012). "Freed Australian lawyer Melinda Taylor arrives in the Netherlands". Herald Sun. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- ISBN 9780190257613.
- ^ Addley, Esther; Bowcott, Own; Crouch, David; Elgot, Jessica (6 February 2016). "Julian Assange: 'sweet' victory soured by British and Swedish rejection". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- ^ a b Weiss, Michael; Goldsmith, Jett (20 April 2021). "How an Email Sting Operation Unearthed a pro-Assad Conspiracy—and Russia's Role In It". New Lines Magazine. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
- ^ Weiss, Michael; Goldsmith, Jett (20 April 2021). "Syria Chemical Attack Deniers Admit Links to WikiLeaks and Russia". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 20 April 2021.