Guyanese Justice Arif Bulkan appointed to Caribbean Court of Justice bench

Guyanese jurist Mr Justice Arif Bulkan has been selected to join the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), filling the vacancy left by the elevation of Honourable Mr Justice Winston Anderson to the presidency of the Court on 4 July 2025.

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The appointment was announced by the Regional Judicial and Legal Services Commission (RJLSC), the independent body responsible for recruiting judges and staff for the CCJ.

Justice Bulkan holds a Bachelor of Laws from the University of the West Indies, a Legal Education Certificate from Hugh Wooding Law School, a Master of Laws from University College London, and a PhD in Law from Osgoode Hall Law School, York University, Canada. Over his career, he has served in multiple capacities, including litigator, academic, author, activist, judge, and international law expert.

Admitted to the Bar in Guyana in 1990, Justice Bulkan worked at the Chambers of the Director of Public Prosecutions, rising to Assistant DPP, before entering private practice from 1997 to 2004. He sat on the Court of Appeal of Guyana in 2018 and has served as a Judge of the Court of Appeal of Belize since May 2022.

In academia, Justice Bulkan taught at the Faculty of Law of the University of the West Indies from 2008 to 2022 and has contributed extensively to human rights law. He has served as an expert member and Vice Chairperson of the United Nations Human Rights Committee (2019–2022) and is currently the Second Vice-President of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, where he was elected for a four-year term in June 2023.

Justice Bulkan is a widely published author on indigenous rights, human rights, and constitutional law, including The Survival of Indigenous Rights in Guyana (2012) and Fundamentals of Caribbean Constitutional Law (first edition 2015, second edition 2021). His work has earned him the Anthony Sabga Caribbean Award for Public and Civic Contributions and recognition as a PANCAP/CARICOM Champion for Change, both in 2017.

Commenting on the appointment, CCJ President and RJLSC Chairman Justice Winston Anderson emphasized that appointments are made solely on merit, including expertise, integrity, and dedication to justice. Of the approximately 26 applications received from countries including Australia, Barbados, Canada, Cameroon, Fiji, Guyana, Jamaica, Kenya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saint Lucia, Sri Lanka, the USA, and Trinidad and Tobago, five candidates were shortlisted and interviewed before Justice Bulkan was selected.

Justice Bulkan is expected to be sworn in as a CCJ Judge in October 2025, becoming the third Guyanese national to serve on the Court.