A Tongan lawyer and judge, Elisapeti Makoni Langi, who was admitted to the list of counsel of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in August 2023, was yesterday elected by the ICC Bar Association as a member of the ICC Victims Committee.

As the first Tongan to be accepted into the ICC, Ms Langi told Matangi Tonga that she is humbled and happy to represent Tonga at an international level.

"Although Tonga is a small island Kingdom in the Pacific, we have highly capable people including lawyers, judges and others with different expertise," she said.

Ms Langi said the Pacific Region is under-represented in the ICC, with only two from Pasifika. The first was Nazhat Shameem Khan of Fiji, the Deputy Prosecutor.

She's also a member of the ICC Bar Association.

She began her legal career as a Crown Prosecutor at the Attorney General’s Office in 2008 before joining the judiciary in 2018. She holds a Master's degree in Criminology from the University of Sydney and has extensive experience in criminal law and family law. Her experience as a family judge with the Magistrate’s Court in Tonga, has given her an understanding of victims of violence.

Ms Langi was appointed in 2020 by King Tupou VI as the first female acting judge of the Tongan Supreme Court.