Late UN tribunal judge Antonio Cassese mourned by fellow jurists

Tributes continued to flow in today for Judge Antonio Cassese, first president of both the United Nations war crimes tribunal for the Balkan wars of the 1990s and the UN-backed special court created to try the suspects in the murder of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri.

Judge Cassese, who died on Friday, “has always been at the forefront of international criminal justice,” International Criminal Court (ICC) President Sang-Hyun Song said in a statement. “All of us who work in the field of international criminal law shall remain greatly indebted to him.”

The president of UN-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL), Jon M. Kamanda, recalled Judge Cassese’s work as an independent expert looking at the challenges faced by that court, including the need to prepare a completion strategy. “Other tribunals will also build on Judge Cassese’s legacy as they too complete their work,” he said.

On Saturday Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon praised the judge as “a giant of international law” and a loyal friend to the UN.