The QICDRC mourns the loss of our dear friend and colleague, Justice Professor Rashid Al-Anezi on 15 January 2024. Professor Al-Anezi a was hugely distinguished judge and scholar, whose humanity, kindness and warmth lit up any room he was in. He played a major role in the success of the Court, and sat on a significant number of important cases both at First Instance and in the Appellate Division. Professor Al-Anezi was appointed to the Court in 2018, and during his tenure sat on some 70 cases. The President of the Court, Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd, will pay tribute to him at the next appeal hearing which is fixed for 25 February 2024.
Chief Executive Officer of the QICDRC, Faisal Al-Sahouti, said:
It is with great sadness that we learned of the death of our eminent Judge and friend, Professor Rashid Al-Anezi. His friendship, charm, generosity and gentle nature endeared him to all those who met him, and those qualities were tempered with a great intellect which he bore very lightly. His contributions to the development of the jurisprudence of the Court cannot be underestimated, and he will be sorely missed.
In addition to his role as a Judge, Professor Al-Anezi was an eminent academic and lawyer. He held a BA in Law and Sharia from Kuwait University, before obtaining an LLM from Tulane University and a PhD in International Law at the University of Cambridge. He was a Professor of International Law at Kuwait University Law School and Vice President for Research at Kuwait University, in addition to being the Head of its Publication Council, and also for a time held the post of Chief Editor of its law journal. From 2014, he held various arbitration positions that included being registered as an arbitrator at the Kuwait National Court of Arbitration of Sport, the Saudi Sport Arbitration Centre, the Qatar Sport Arbitration Foundation, and the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Professor Al-Anezi was also the Head of the Ethics Committee of the Kuwait Olympic Committee, a Member of the Ethics Committee of World Aquatics, and the Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer of both the Asian Swimming Federation and of the Olympic Council of Asia. He also had various roles representing the government of Kuwait, including being a legal advisor to the Council of Ministers, the Ministry of Higher Education, the Public Authority of the Environment, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Office of the Governor of the Ministry of Interior. In addition, he published numerous books and articles on various legal topics both in English and Arabic.
