Registrar for International Criminal Court elected

The roster of senior officials who will guide the International Criminal Court (ICC) was completed today with the election of prominent French litigator and legal expert Bruno Cathala as Registrar of the world's first permanent war crimes tribunal.

The ICC's President, Judge Philippe Kirsch, announced in The Hague that an absolute majority of the Court's judges had elected Mr. Cathala on the first ballot. His appointment follows the swearing in earlier this month of Luis Moreno Ocampo as the Court's Chief Prosecutor.

Prior to this position, Mr. Cathala was the first officer of the ICC when the Assembly of States Parties, the Court's governing body, appointed him Director of Common Services in October 2002.

Before joining the ICC, Mr. Cathala was Deputy Registrar of the UN International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). His responsibilities there included assisting the Registrar in carrying out his work and ensuring coordination of the work of the Judges, the Administrative Services and the Judicial Division.

The ICC was inaugurated on 11 March with the election of its 18 judges and will have jurisdiction over the most serious breaches of international law - trying individuals rather than states, and holding them accountable for war crimes, including, genocide, mass murder, torture, and, once defined, the crime of aggression.

The Rome Statute - the Court's establishing treaty - entered into force 1 July 2002, and the Court's jurisdiction will cover only crimes committed after that date. The Statute has thus far been ratified by 90 countries and signed by 139. With all its senior officials in place, the Court is expected to shortly begin reviewing its opening slate of hearings.