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UN Security Council marks 20th anniversary of int'l tribunal for Rwanda

09 November 2014 00:29 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. The UN Security Council on Saturday marked the 20th anniversary of International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), acknowledging its contribution to the process of national reconciliation and the restoration and maintenance of peace after the 1994 genocide, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

"The members of the Security Council recognize the contribution of the ICTR to the fight against impunity through fulfilling its mandate of prosecuting persons responsible for the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi during which Hutu and others who opposed the genocide were also killed, and other serious violations of international humanitarian law, as set forth in Resolution 955," said the 15-nation UN body in a press statement.

Resolution 955 was adopted by the UN Security Council on Nov. 8, 1994 to set up the ICTR.

"The members of the Security Council do also acknowledge the contribution of the ICTR to the process of national reconciliation and the restoration and maintenance of peace," said the statement.

The members of the Security Council emphasized that the establishment of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals pursuant to Resolution 1966 (2010) was "essential to ensure that the closure of the ICTR does not leave the door open to impunity for the remaining fugitives and for those whose appeals have not been completed," the statement said.

The council members called on all states to cooperate with the ICTR, the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals and the government of Rwanda in the arrest and prosecution of the remaining nine ICTR-indicted fugitives, it said.

They further appealed to states to investigate, arrest, prosecute or extradite, in accordance with applicable international obligations, all other fugitives accused of genocide residing on their territories, the statement said.

"The members of the Security Council reaffirm their strong commitment to justice and the fight against impunity," the statement added.

The genocide occurred between April and July 1994 when Hutu militia and others killed the Tutsi and moderate Hutu by using machetes or guns in Rwanda. UN statistics showed that the horrifying tragedy claimed more than 800,000 lives and many more injured, orphaned, widowed and severely traumatized.

The ICTR deals with the prosecution of persons responsible for the Rwanda genocide. The tribunal expects to close on Sept. 30, 2015 and will spend the remainder of its time finishing up some administrative work such as the preparation of the ICTR archive that is to be delivered to the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals.

The residual mechanism was created in 2010 by the Security Council to take over the residual functions of the ICTR and the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, such as long-term sentence enforcement and witness protection.