Secretary-General Appoints President of Residual Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals, Welcomes Prosecutor’s Appointment by Security Council

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has decided to appoint Judge Theodor Meron of the United States as President of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, for a new term commencing on 1 March.  The decision was made after consulting the President of the Security Council and the judges of the Mechanism.  Judge Meron will continue to serve as a judge of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia while working as the President of the Mechanism.

The Secretary-General welcomes the decision of the Security Council to appoint Serge Brammertz of Belgium as Prosecutor of the Mechanism.  The appointment is also effective 1 March and Mr. Brammertz will continue serving simultaneously as Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia.

The Secretary-General is grateful for Hassan Bubacar Jallow’s service as the first Prosecutor of the Mechanism from 1 March 2012 until 29 February 2016 and as Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda from 15 September 2003 until 31 December 2015.  Mr. Jallow was instrumental to the successful fulfilment of the mandate of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and the efficient conduct of the work of the Office of the Prosecutor of the Mechanism in its initial four-year period of operation.

The Mechanism was established by Security Council resolution 1966 (2010) of 22 December 2010 to carry out the residual functions of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.  It has two branches, in Arusha and in The Hague.  The President and the Prosecutor shall be present at either seat of the branches of the Mechanism as necessary to exercise their functions.