No time wasted
It’s an odd feeling for Sluiter that his working life is coming to an end. ‘It puts things in perspective. Nobody is indispensable,’ he says. But despite having metastatic rectal cancer, he remains in good spirits. ‘You could sit at home all day thinking it’s unfair, but that’s a waste of time. Above all, I’m grateful for the time I have, and I’m enjoying my family and keeping in touch with friends.’ At home, surrounded by metre-long shelves filled with LPs and an impressive set of speakers, Sluiter looks back on his career.
Did you always want to be a lawyer?
‘At secondary school, I wanted to go into music, but my talent as a guitarist and singer wasn’t quite up to it. I played bass guitar in punk bands – the easiest instrument to play. So I soon realised music wasn’t my biggest talent. I did carry on listening to a lot of music, though. I have a valve amplifier at home – not many people know what that is anymore. That way I can listen to people who play better than I do. After secondary school, I first studied French language and literature in Dijon. But that wasn’t quite right for me either. I was eventually drawn to law because, even as a student, I was already very involved in human rights.’
How did your career in law begin?
‘The same way it begins for everyone else after graduating: by applying for jobs. I even interviewed with Shell for a position as a corporate lawyer, but it’s just as well that didn’t work out. It didn’t suit me at all. At that stage in your life, you’re often still trying to find your way. In Utrecht, I eventually embarked on a really great PhD programme. From that moment on, I’ve stayed with international criminal law, and that’s how I ended up at the University of Amsterdam.’