Ms. Katja Dominik

Ms Katja Dominik, a German citizen, studied law and Slavic languages at the University of Goettingen, Germany from which she graduated in 1996. Ms Dominik had an abiding interest in human rights when she commenced her legal studies in the early 1990’s. As a law student, she was a member of the association "Geschichtswerkstatt" (history workshop) in Goettingen which researched the persecution and deportation of the Jewish population from Goettingen between 1933 and 1945.

Upon her graduation from the University of Goettingen in 1996, she commenced work as a Research Assistant at the Institute for Common State Law and Political Science in Germany. In this capacity, she assisted the Director of the Institute with lectures as well as with numerous scientific publications in Public Law, Constitutional Law, and International Law. She also participated actively with lawyers and law students who were dealing with asylum and other human rights issues from 1996 to 1999.

Ms. Dominik was awarded a post graduate scholarship and completed her studies on the legal aspects of the state collapse of the Socialist Federal Republic of the Former Yugoslavia in Zagreb, Croatia in 1998/99. Her dissertation on the subject matter was published in 2001. She also worked regularly during this period as a short term polling monitor and supervisor with the Organization for Security  and Cooperation in Europe in Bosnia/Herzegovina.

From 2000 to 2002 she worked as a law clerk which included periods at the Higher Regional Court, Duesseldorf and also at an advocacy office which specialized in asylum law. In 2002 she was employed by the Federal German Ministry of Development and Economic Co-operation in Bonn where she worked in the Division for European development policy. In this capacity, she researched and drafted texts and speeches for international development aid conferences in Brussels and Bonn where she also on occasion represented the German government.

In October 2002, Ms Dominik was appointed as a Judge at the District Court, Duesseldorf where she specialized in various types of criminal law. She thereafter became deputy chairman in the District Court criminal chambers for serious capital crimes and economic crimes.

Ms. Dominik was appointed as an International Judge with EULEX Kosovo in October,  2011 whereupon she was assigned to the District Court, Mitrovice/a where she deals with high profile cases of war crimes, murder, corruption and human trafficking. The Head of Mission EULEX appointed Ms. Dominik as the substitute member of the Human Rights Review Panel in January 2012. In January 2013 Ms Dominik was appointed a full member of the Panel.