Judges at UN war crimes tribunal for former Yugoslavia re-elect their President

Judges on the United Nations war crimes tribunal set up to deal with the worst atrocities of the Balkan wars of the 1990s today re-elected their President and Vice-President to each serve another two-year term.

An extraordinary plenary session of the permanent judges of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), which sits in The Hague, re-elected by acclamation Judge Fausto Pocar as President and Judge Kevin Parker as Vice-President. Their new terms will start on 17 November.

Judge Pocar of Italy, who has been President since November 2005, joined the Tribunal in February 2000. Judge Parker, an Australian, joined ICTY in December 2003 and has served as Vice-President since November 2005.

The Tribunal’s chambers consist of 16 permanent judges and a maximum of 12 ad litem, or temporary, judges at any one time. All are elected by the UN General Assembly.