Judge Sylvia Steiner is a Senior Researcher at the Getulio Vargas Law School in São Paulo, teaching Human Rights and International Criminal Law, and supervising research groups.
Judge Steiner served as Judge at the International Criminal Court (ICC) from 2003 to 2016. She has comprehensive experience in criminal and international law, in particular the international law of human rights and international humanitarian law. Judge Steiner was a lawyer from 1977 to 1982, and subsequently Federal Public Prosecutor from 1982 to 1995 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. In 1995, Judge Steiner was appointed to the Federal Court of Appeal, where she served as a judge until her election to the ICC in 2003.
Judge Steiner obtained her law degree at the Law School of São Paulo University. In 1999, she received her specialist degree in criminal law at Brasilia University and in 2000 obtained her Master’s degree in international law at the Law School of São Paulo University.
Judge Steiner is a founding associate member of the Brazilian Institute of Criminal Sciences and was Deputy Director of the Brazilian Criminal Sciences Journal for four years. She is also a member of the Brazilian Judges for Democracy Association. Judge Steiner was a member of the Brazilian delegation to the Preparatory Commission of the ICC from 1999 to 2002 and was also a member of the Official Working Group on the Implementation of the Rome Statute in Brazil in 2003. In 2013, Judge Steiner was awarded the Franz de Castro Holzwarth Price on Human Rights for her dedication to defend human rights by the Brazilian Bar Association of Order of Attorneys of Brazil.