The ICTR Prosecutor, Justice Hassan Bubacar Jallow, announced today the arrest in the DRC of ICTR fugitive Bernard Munyagishari (52), former President of the Interahamwe for Gisenyi, who was arrested in an operation mounted by the DRC Armed forces, in collaboration with the OTP Tracking Unit in Kachanga, North Kivu. Munyagishari, currently detained in Goma pending transfer to the Tribunal, is wanted by the ICTR on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity, including rape. The Prosecutor hailed the DRC authorities for their cooperation in executing the warrant of arrest despite the hurdles encountered in tracking down the fugitive in difficult... Continue Reading
The British Foreign Office Minister H.E. Henry Bellingham on Tuesday 24 May 2011 paid a one-day official visit to the Tribunal during which he held official talks with senior officials of the ICTR. During his visit, the Minister, whose delegation included, H.E. Diane Corner, the British High Commissioner to Tanzania and Mr. Nicholas Hopton, the Head of the British Foreign Office’s International Organisations Department met with the President of the ICTR, Judge Dennis Byron and Mr. Hassan Bubacar Jallow, the Prosecutor, as well as with Mr. Pascal Besnier, the Deputy Registrar. President Byron and Justice Jallow thanked the... Continue Reading
The President of the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda Judge Dennis Byron has assigned four Permanent Judges of the Trial Chambers of the Tribunal to the Appeals Chamber of the ICTR. The Judges are Khalida Rachid Khan (Pakistan), William Sekule (Tanzania), Arlette Ramaroson (Madagascar) and Bakhtiyar Tuzmukhamedov (Russia). A statement issued by Judge Byron on Monday 23 May 2011 announced that the assignments shall take affect from the date on which their respective cases are completed. This follows consultations with the Judges and bearing in mind the need to ensure trial experience from the Tribunal in the work... Continue Reading
The situation in Abidjan had been very tense until April 13, two days after the Gbagbo regime fell. Since that time, the improvement has been palpable. Some fighting broke out on May 3 and 4, in the Yopougon district, the stronghold of forces loyal to outgoing President Gbagbo, the main thoroughfares have reopened and wooden stalls have reappeared along previously-deserted roadsides. And after remaining inside during the long weeks of the crisis, the city’s ill inhabitants—many now in serious condition—are streaming to the hospital. The teams are focused on medical emergencies at the Abobo Sud hospital, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) reopened in late February. During the fighting, with the front... Continue Reading
By Own Correspondent – The African Committee of Experts on the Right and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC) has developed a concept note on the theme of the 21st edition of the Day of the African Child 2011 to guide member states and partners on the objectives and expected outcomes on the theme “All Together for Urgent Actions in Favour of Street Children.” The Day of the African Child is celebrated on 16 June every year by the African Union, in line with resolution CM/Res.1290 (XL) to commemorate the 1976 massacre of Soweto children, who merely took to the streets... Continue Reading
