Polish Judge Defended the Iranian Stance (Anglo-Iranian Dispute in 1951)

The nationalization of oil fields in Iran on 20 March 1951 turned into a conflict between the British and Iranian governments. It was a heavy blow for the oil company from Great Britain, which since the beginning of the 20th century was present in Iran (since 1933 under the name of Anglo-Persian Oil Company, the name was changed for Anglo-Iranian Oil Company). British government lodged a complaint against Iran with the International Court of Justice, and then on 22 June 1951 filed a further request for the interim measures of protection to be implemented until the dispute is resolved. Two of the judges of the International Court of Justice gave a dissenting opinion in this case, one of them was a Polish judge, Bohdan Winiarski. In his opinion, and also opinion of Egyptian judge Abdel Hamid Badawi Pasha, the British government was not a party to the contract because it was signed between the Iranian Government and the Anglo-Persian Oil Company not with the British Government. This opinion was accepted by the International Court of Justice in Hague. The positive verdict of the Court was a huge victory for Iran. Without doubt, the Polish judge, Bohdan Winiarski, contributed to it.