Allocution du Procureur Hassan B. Jallow devant le Conseil de sécurité de l’ONU

The Prosecutor of the Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals (MICT / Mechanism) and International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), Justice Hassan B. Jallow, today presented his latest bi-annual report on the work of the Mechanism to the United Nations Security Council.

The Prosecutor noted that his report was coming shortly after the commemorations held to mark the 20th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide, an event he called “one of the greatest human tragedies of the 20th century”. Prosecutor Jallow said that the MICT and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), of which he is also Prosecutor, “share the Council members’ expressions of remorse at the occurrence of this tragedy and commend its unflinching support for justice and accountability as well as its commitment to give reality to ‘Never Again’.”

The Prosecutor stressed that the pursuit of accountability has been a truly global effort. He also suggested that, as the ICTR prepares to close, there is a need to recognise that much remains to be done. Member States must cooperate with the Mechanism in the tracking and arrest of the nine remaining fugitives, three of whom are to stand trial before the Mechanism, while the remaining cases have been referred to Rwanda. “This will continue to be a top priority of the Mechanism,” the Prosecutor emphasised.

The Prosecutor informed the Member States that the work of the Office of the Prosecutor’s (OTP) staff in both Arusha and The Hague is progressing well, as is inter-branch coordination.

With regard to the OTP’s Arusha Branch, the Prosecutor reported on the progress of the cases for which that office bears responsibility, highlighting the ongoing monitoring of four cases transferred to Rwanda and France and the status the Ngirabatware case, the only pending appeal case, in which oral arguments are scheduled for 30 June 2014.

The OTP Hague Branch established its full working capacity and is preparing for future appeals, the Prosecutor said. It is also working on a large number of requests for assistance from national juridical authorities in the former Yugoslavia, most notably from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia.

“My office is also in the process of negotiating additional Memoranda of Understanding with respective state prosecutors in the region to entrench cooperation and mutual legal assistance and ensure smooth continuity as the MICT-OTP takes over mutual assistance and cooperation responsibilities of the ICTY-OTP,” said the Prosecutor.