SECURITY COUNCIL SENDS NOMINATIONS FOR FORMER YUGOSLAVIA TRIBUNAL JUDGES TO GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Security Council

4274^th Meeting (PM)

SECURITY COUNCIL SENDS NOMINATIONS FOR FORMER YUGOSLAVIA

TRIBUNAL JUDGES TO GENERAL ASSEMBLY

The Security Council this afternoon decided to forward to the General Assembly a list of nominees to be considered for election as Permanent Judges of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia.

The Council took the decision, in accordance with the Statute of the International Tribunal, by unanimously adopting resolution 1340/2001.  The nominations, which came from Member States, were transmitted to the Council by the Secretary-General.

The nominees are listed in the resolution.  They are Carmel A. Agius (Malta), Richard Allen Banda (Malawi), Mohamed Amin El Abbassi Elmahdi (Egypt), Mohammed El Habib Fassi Fihri (Morocco), David Hunt (Australia), Claud Jorda (France), O-gon Kwon (Republic of Korea), Liu Daqun (China), Abderraouf Mahbouli (Tunisia), Richard George May (United Kingdom), Theodor Meron (United States), Florence Ndepele Mwachande Mumba (Zambia), Rafael Nieto Navia (Colombia), Leopold Ntahompagaze (Burundi), Alphonsus MartinusMaria Orie (Netherlands), Fausto Pocar (Italy), Jonah Rahetlah (Madagascar), Patrick Lipton Robinson (Jamaica), Almiro Simões Rodrigues (Portugal), Miriam Defensor Santiago (Philippines), Wolfgang Schomburg (Germany), Mohamed Shahabuddeen (Guyana), Demetrakis Stylianides (Cyprus), Krister Thelin (Sweden), Volodymyr Vassylenko (Ukraine), and Karam Chand Vohrah (Malaysia).

The four-year terms of office of the existing 14 Judges of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia will end soon.  Eleven were elected in 1997 and three more in 1998 when the Tribunal was expanded.  Ten current members of the Tribunal, including its President, Claude Jorda of France, are among the nominees sent to the General Assembly.

The election of the Permanent Judges will take place two months earlier than would be normal, so that new cases can be assigned to the current judges who are re-elected. 

The capacity of the Tribunal will be expanded soon, when the International Tribunal for Rwanda will send two Judges to the Appeals Chambers.  There will be a further expansion of its judicial capacity when 27 new ad litem (temporary) judges are elected.  The Security Council decided to establish the pool of ad litem judges in resolution 1329 (2000) of 30 November 2000.  These temporary judges will be assigned to cases if they are needed.

The Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia was established by Security Council resolution 827 on 25 May 1993.  It is located in The Hague, Netherlands.  The Tribunal is mandated to prosecute and try persons responsible for serious violations of international humanitarian law committed in the former Yugoslavia

since 1991.  The Tribunal prosecutes and tries four clusters of offences:  grave breaches of the 1949 Geneva Conventions; violations of the laws or customs of war; genocide; and crimes against humanity.

Judges currently serving with the Tribunal are Claude Jorda (France), Florence Ndepele Mwachande Mumba (Zambia), David Anthony Hunt (Australia), Richard George May (United Kingdom), Almiro Simões Rodrigues (Portugal), Lal Chand Vohrah (Malaysia), Fouad Abdel-Moneim Riad (Egypt), Mohamed Shahabuddeen (Guyana), Rafael Nieto Navia (Colombia), Mohamed Bennouna (Morocco), Patrick Lipton Robinson (Jamaica), Patricia Wald (United States), Fausto Pocar (Italy) and Liu Daqun (China).

The meeting, which began at 12:10 p.m., was adjourned at 12:12 p.m.

The full text of resolution 1340/2001 follows:

“The Security Council,

“Recalling its resolutions 808 (1993) of 22 February 1993, 827 (1993) of   25 May 1993, 1166 (1998) of 13 May 1998 and 1329 (2000) of 30 November 2000,

“Having decided to consider the nominations for Permanent Judges of the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia received by the Secretary-General by 31 January 2001,

“Forwards the following nominations to the General Assembly in accordance with article 13 bis (1) (d) of the Statute of the International Tribunal:

Mr. Carmel A. Agius(Malta)

Mr. Richard Allen Banda (Malawi)

Mr. Mohamed Amin El Abbassi Elmahdi(Egypt)

Mr. Mohamed El Habib Fassi Fihri(Morocco)

Mr. David Hunt(Australia)

Mr. Claude Jorda (France)

Mr. O-gon Kwon (Republic of Korea)

Mr. Liu Daqun (China)

Mr. Abderraouf Mahbouli (Tunisia)

Mr. Richard George May (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland)

Mr. Theodor Meron (United States of America)

Mrs. Florence Ndepele Mwachande Mumba (Zambia)

Mr. Rafael Nieto Navia(Colombia)

Mr. Leopold Ntahompagaze (Burundi)

Mr. Alphonsus MartinusMaria Orie(Netherlands)

Mr. Fausto Pocar (Italy)

Mr. Jonah Rahetlah (Madagascar)

Mr. Patrick Lipton Robinson (Jamaica)

Mr. Almiro Simões Rodrigues(Portugal)

Ms. Miriam Defensor Santiago (Philippines)

Mr. Wolfgang Schomburg (Germany)

Mr. Mohamed Shahabuddeen (Guyana)

Mr. Demetrakis Stylianides(Cyprus)

Mr. Krister Thelin(Sweden)

Mr. Volodymyr Vassylenko (Ukraine)

Mr. Karam Chand Vohrah (Malaysia)”

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