Deadline for nominating judges to UN's Rwanda tribunal extended

The Security Council today decided to extend the deadline for nominating ad litem judges to the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) after the number of candidates nominated for the posts fell short of the required minimum.

The unanimous decision to push the deadline to 15 April will be conveyed in a letter to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. He had earlier informed the Council that the number of nominations received - 26 in all - was below the mandated minimum of 36 the Council is required to transmit to the UN General Assembly for final selection.

The Council created the ICTR, located in Arusha, Tanzania, in November 1994 to prosecute people responsible for genocide and other serious violations of international humanitarian law committed in the territory of Rwanda between 1 January and 31 December 1994.

The Tribunal may also deal with the prosecution of Rwandan citizens responsible for genocide and other such violations of international law committed in neighbouring States over the same period.