January 10, 2025 08:46 am (IST)

Make this your homepage

Foreign

8 labourers still trapped in Assam's flooded mine even after 3 days of rescue ops | SC refuses to hear petitions seeking review of its same-sex marriage judgement, says there is 'no error' | 'They should wind up the alliance': Omar Abdullah on AAP-Congress fight over Delhi elections | Pune woman killed by her colleague in full public view for not paying back his money, no one intervenes | Los Angeles wildfire leaves 5 dead, forces 1 lakh including celebs to flee, Hollywood hills ablazed | PM Modi condoles death of six people in Tirupati stampede incident | Days after condemning Pak airstrikes, India in a first engages with Afghanistan's Taliban regime | 6 dead in stampede near Tirupati temple during token distribution to offer prayers | Prominent journalist-film producer Pritish Nandy dies of cardiac arrest at 73 | Thousands, including Hollywood stars, flee Los Angeles upscale neighbourhood as wildfire engulfs homes

UN Photo/Amanda Voisard

UN tribunals crucial for delivering justice for Rwanda: UNSC

India Blooms News Service | | Jun 06, 2014, at 06:41 pm

#UN tribunals # Rwanda # Security Council

New York, Jun 6 (IBNS): What began as 'bold experiments' in international justice two decades ago have resulted in ensuring accountability for the worst of crimes, officials from the United Nations tribunals dealing with the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda told the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Thursday, as they highlighted ongoing efforts to bring the work of their respective bodies to a close.

This past April marked 20 years since the genocide in Rwanda, where some 800,000 men, women and children – overwhelmingly Tutsi, moderate Hutu and Twa – were systematically killed over the course of 100 days.

Also this year, 8 November marks the 20 anniversary of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), which was established by the Council, at the request of Rwanda, in the wake of the tragedy.

“The development of Rwanda’s judicial system, including holding accountable those who participated in the atrocities in 1994, remains a crucial part of the peace and reconciliation process in Rwanda and there can be no question that the ICTR has played an important role as an accountability mechanism,” said Judge Vagn Joensen, President of the ICTR.

“It is a testament to Rwanda’s dedication to accountability that as the Tribunal draws near to closure, Rwanda is now in the process of trying two cases referred by the ICTR and has taken over responsibility for six of the remaining fugitives,” he added in his briefing to the Council.

“We hope that the international community will use this occasion as an opportunity to mark Rwanda’s achievements, as well as to further study the lessons learnt from what was only an experiment in international justice in 1994,” he said.

“This great experiment has faced some adversity over the years, but it has also proven to be an integral part of the evolution of post-conflict justice.”

Justice Hassan B. Jallow, Prosecutor of the ICTR as well as of the Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals (MICT), said that as the Tribunal prepares for its imminent closure and the complete takeover of its functions by the Mechanism, it is important to recognize, “despite many achievements, much remains to be done to bring the process of legal accountability to a proper end.”

In particular, he said Member States need to cooperate with and support the Mechanism and Rwanda to ensure that the nine remaining fugitives are arrested and transferred to the appropriate jurisdiction for trial, and that the many persons suspected of involvement in the genocide who could not be indicted by the tribunal need to be extradited to Rwanda for trial or prosecuted by the States where they reside.

Also, witnesses who require protection need to be secured against those seeking to subvert the process of justice, and those who have been acquitted or have finished serving sentences need to be assisted with resettlement. “These are all matters in which only Member States can provide solutions,” said Judge Jallow.

Judge Theodor Meron, President of ICTY as well as the MICT, noted that international courts on their own cannot resolve long-running historical conflicts. They must be part of a “panoply of transitional justice measures,” including broader societal efforts, spearheaded by community leaders, focused on history, memory, responsibility, and respect for the rule of law.

“The need for such a broader approach should not, however, detract from our appreciation for the groundbreaking role of the Tribunal and the valuable contributions made by international criminal justice more generally,” he stated.

“Ensuring accountability for the worst of crimes and respect for the rule of law sometimes is not easy, and it certainly is not cost-free. But it is essential,” he stated.

ICTY Prosecutor Serge Brammertz reported that his office has finished presenting its evidence in all of the remaining trials. “We are now well and truly in the final phase of our work,” he stated.

A key feature of the Tribunal’s completion strategy has been the transfer of some cases to national jurisdiction. “We will continue encouraging national authorities, especially in Bosnia and Herzegovina, to take full advantage of the resources available to them within my office to ensure accountability for the crimes committed,” said Brammertz.

“More broadly, we know that finding creative and effective new strategies for building national capacity is a priority area if we are to construct a more coherent and complete international justice system.”

(President of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) Vagn Joensen. UN Photo/Amanda Voisard)

Support Our Journalism

We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism

IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.