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Tue, Jul 3rd, 2012
Headlines / Tanzania |
The Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mr Bernard Membe, has pledged the government's full commitments to facilitate the work of another United Nations new judicial body, the Mechanism of International Criminal Tribunals (MICT), which started operating on Monday.
"We will make our best efforts to do whatever it takes to enable the Mechanism to perform its functions the same way as we have done with the ICTR," he said in a speech read on his behalf by Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister Mathias Chikawe, at the launching ceremony of MICT, Arusha Branch. The Mechanism takes over essential functions of International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) and that of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) after their closures.
Mr Membe paid tribute to the role of ICTR since its inception. According to him, the Tribunal has left as legacy in the development of international in the region as well as in the world at large. "Indeed, the Tribunal has not only enriched the criminal law practice in the region, but it has also added value to the International Criminal Judicial Practice and Jurisprudence, as a whole," part of the minister's speech reads.
Equally important, Mr Membe said, the ICTR has served as a research, learning and educational hub for Universities, Colleges, High Schools, Local and International Courts, in the area of International Criminal Law. "By and large, its presence in Arusha has amplified the recognition of Tanzania the vivid memories of the late Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere for his tireless efforts in the quest for peace and reconciliation in Africa, in general and the Great Lakes region, in particular," he said.
During the launching ceremony, the IRM President, Judge Theodor Meron, called for increased efforts in tracking and arresting the top three most genocide-fugitives marked by the Mechanism to be prosecuted. "The Mechanism must and will work with states to ensure that those individuals indicted by ICTR are brought to justice.
We cannot afford to let those accused of the most horrific crimes wait out of criminal justice," he said. Judge Moron was referring to the most wanted fugitive, Felicien Kabuga, who allegedly financed the 1994 genocide, former Rwandan Minister of Defence, Augustin Bizimana and ex-Commander of the Presidential Guard, Protais Mpiranya.
Recognizing that serious violations of humanitarian law committed in Rwanda, the Security Council created the ICTR by the Resolution 955 of November 8, 1994, for the prosecution of persons responsible for the genocide and other serious crimes to contribute to the process of national reconciliation in Rwanda.
The ICTR Prosecutor indicted 92 suspected main perpetrators of the Rwandan genocide on several offences of genocide, complicity in genocide, conspiracy to commit genocide, direct and public incitement to commit genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. Of the 92 people indicted, 83 accused persons were arrested and nine suspects are still at large. A total of 67 have been convicted in the first instance and ten persons have been acquitted.
By FAUSTINE KAPAMA, Tanzania Daily News
