Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon paid tribute to Judge Antonio Cassese, a renowned legal expert who died yesterday, calling him “a giant of international law” and a loyal friend to the United Nations.
The United Nations tribunal set up to prosecute the most serious offences committed during the Balkan conflicts of the 1990s today convicted Momčilo Perišić for crimes against humanity and war crimes and sentenced the former chief of staff of the Yugoslav Army to 27 years in prison.
The Security Council today set up a new body to finish the remaining tasks of the United Nations war crimes tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, while calling on the courts to conclude their work by the end of 2014.
The Security Council today extended the terms of several judges serving on the United Nations tribunals working to bring to justice the perpetrators of the worst crimes committed during the Balkans conflict of the 1990s and the 1994 genocide in Rwanda so that they can complete the cases on which they are working.
The United Nations tribunals trying those alleged to have committed atrocities in the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda are making good progress in completing their work, but their efforts are being hampered by a lack of resources and the departure of some of their most experienced staff, the heads of the two bodies said today.
The United Nations legal chief and the heads of courts and tribunals based in The Hague have held talks this week on how to improve cooperation between the UN and the tribunals set up to deal with war crimes and other grave violations of international law.
The Security Council today extended the mandates of the United Nations tribunals set up to deal with the worst atrocities committed during the Balkan conflicts of the 1990s and the Rwandan genocide of 1994.
The Registrars, or top administrative officials, of the International Criminal Court (ICC), United Nations tribunals and courts backed by the world body wrapped up a meeting today focusing on funding and resources.
Judge Ralph Jacques Riachy has taken up his post as Vice-President of the United Nations-backed tribunal set up to try the perpetrators of recent political killings in Lebanon, including the February 2005 murder of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri.
The international Co-Prosecutor of the United Nations-backed tribunal in Cambodia trying Khmer Rouge leaders accused of mass killings and other crimes three decades ago announced his resignation today.
