Caribbean Court of Justice appoints Justice Arif Bulkan to the Bench

Mr. Justice Arif Bulkan, a citizen of Guyana, has been chosen by the Regional Judicial and Legal Services Commission (RJLSC), the autonomous body responsible for selecting judges and staff for the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), to serve as a CCJ Judge. His appointment fills the vacancy created by the promotion of Honourable Mr. Justice Winston Anderson to the Court’s presidency, effective 4 July 2025, according to a CCJ official release.

Justice Bulkan earned his Bachelor of Laws degree from The University of the West Indies, obtained a Legal Education Certificate from Hugh Wooding Law School, completed a Master of Laws at University College London, and holds a PhD in Law from Osgoode Hall Law School at York University in Canada. His professional experience reportedly spans both regional and international spheres, where he has served in multiple roles, including as a litigator, academic, author, activist, judge, and expert in international law.

The press release states that he was called to the Guyana Bar in 1990 and worked in the Chambers of the Director of Public Prosecutions from 1990 until 1996, eventually becoming Assistant DPP. From 1997 to 2004, he practiced privately. Justice Bulkan served on the Court of Appeal of Guyana in 2018 and has been a Judge of Belize’s Court of Appeal since May 2022.

From 2008 through 2022, he was a faculty member at The University of the West Indies’ Faculty of Law. Additionally, he served as a Vice Chairperson of the United Nations Human Rights Committee from 2019 to 2022. In June 2023, he was elected to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights for a four-year term and is currently its Second Vice-President.

Justice Bulkan has authored numerous works on indigenous rights, human rights, and constitutional law, including the book ‘The Survival of Indigenous Rights in Guyana’ (2012) as the sole author, and co-authored ‘Fundamentals of Caribbean Constitutional Law’ (first edition 2015, second edition 2021). His contributions to human rights earned him the Anthony Sabga Caribbean Award for Public and Civic Contributions in 2017, and he was also recognized as a PANCAP/CARICOM Champion for Change in the same year.

In his announcement, Honourable Mr. Justice Winston Anderson, Chair of the RJLSC and President of the CCJ, emphasized that “The RJLSC has the legal responsibility of making appointments to the office of Judge of the Caribbean Court of Justice and makes these appointments based solely on the merits of the applicants including their expertise, integrity, and dedication to justice.”

He added that the recruitment process attracted around 26 applications from countries including Australia, Barbados, Canada, Cameroon, Fiji, Guyana, Jamaica, Kenya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saint Lucia, Sri Lanka, the United States, and Trinidad and Tobago. From these, five candidates—three men and two women—were shortlisted, interviewed, and the successful candidate was selected. The Commission remains committed to ensuring the process is fair, transparent, and impartial.

Justice Bulkan is projected to be sworn in as a CCJ Judge in October 2025. He is the third Guyanese to be appointed to the Court’s bench.