| UN Security Council Resolution 1878 | |
|---|---|
| Date | 7 July 2009 |
| Meeting no. | 6,156 |
| Code | S/RES/1878 (Document) |
| Subject | International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda |
Voting summary | 15 voted for None voted against None abstained |
| Result | Adopted |
| Security Council composition | |
Permanent members | |
Non-permanent members | |
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1878 was unanimously adopted on 7 July 2009.
Urging the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda to take all possible measures to complete its work expeditiously, the Security Council today extended the term of office of six permanent judges until 31 December 2010, or until the completion of the cases to which they were or will be assigned if sooner.
The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda was an international court established in November 1994 by the United Nations Security Council in Resolution 955 in order to judge people responsible for the Rwandan genocide and other serious violations of international law in Rwanda, or by Rwandan citizens in nearby states, between 1 January and 31 December 1994.
Unanimously adopting resolution 1878 (2009), tabled by Austria, under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, the Council also extended until the same date the term of office of 11 ad litem judges.
Stressing that it did so without setting a precedent, the Council also decided, among other things, that two judges (Judge Asoka de Silva from Sri Lanka and Judge Emile Francis Short from Ghana) might work part-time and engage in another judicial occupation of independent status in their home countries during the remainder of their terms of office.
Joseph Asoka Nihal De Silva was the 42nd Chief Justice of Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an island country in South Asia, located in the Indian Ocean to the southwest of the Bay of Bengal and to the southeast of the Arabian Sea. The island is historically and culturally intertwined with the Indian subcontinent, but is geographically separated from the Indian subcontinent by the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait. The legislative capital, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, is a suburb of the commercial capital and largest city, Colombo.
Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located along the Gulf of Guinea and Atlantic Ocean, in the subregion of West Africa. Spanning a land mass of 238,535 km2 (92,099 sq mi), Ghana is bordered by the Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, Togo in the east and the Gulf of Guinea and Atlantic Ocean in the south. Ghana means "Warrior King" in the Soninke language.
Expressing its expectation that the extension of the term of office of judges would contribute towards the implementation of the Tribunal’s completion strategy, the Council further decided to review the extension of the term of office of the permanent judges who were members of the Appeals Chamber by 31 December 2009.
The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) was established in 1994 by resolution 955 for the prosecution of persons responsible for genocide and other serious violations of international humanitarian law committed in the territory of Rwanda between 1 January 1994 and 31 December 1994. It may also deal with the prosecution of Rwandan citizens responsible for genocide and other such violations of international law committed in the territory of neighbouring States during the same period. [1]
International criminal law is a body of public international law designed to prohibit certain categories of conduct commonly viewed as serious atrocities and to make perpetrators of such conduct criminally accountable for their perpetration. The core crimes under international law are genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the crime of aggression. This article also discusses crimes against international law, which may not be part of the body of international criminal law.
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1901, adopted unanimously on December 16, 2009, after recalling previous resolutions, including 935 (1994), 1503 (2003) and 1534 (2004), the Council noted that the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda will not complete its work in 2010.
United Nations Security Council resolution 935, adopted unanimously on 1 July 1994, after recalling all resolutions on Rwanda, particularly 918 (1994) and 925 (1994), the Council requested the Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali to establish a Commission of Experts to investigate violations of international humanitarian law during the Rwandan genocide.
United Nations Security Council resolution 955, adopted on 8 November 1994, after recalling all resolutions on Rwanda, the Council noted that serious violations of international humanitarian law had taken place in the country and, acting under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, established the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR).
United Nations Security Council resolution 978, adopted unanimously on 27 February 1995, after recalling all previous resolutions on Rwanda, including 935 (1994) and 955 (1994), the Council instructed Member States on the arrest and detention of persons responsible for acts during the Rwandan Genocide, within the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR).
United Nations Security Council resolution 1047, adopted unanimously on 29 February 1996, after recalling resolutions 808 (1993), 827 (1993), 936 (1994) and 955 (1994), the Council appointed Louise Arbour as Prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY).
United Nations Security Council resolution 1165, adopted unanimously on 30 April 1998, after recalling Resolution 955 (1994), the Council established a third trial chamber at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR).
United Nations Security Council resolution 1329, adopted unanimously on 30 November 2000, after recalling resolutions 827 (1993) and 955 (1994), the Council enlarged the appeals chambers at both the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), proposed the election of two additional judges at the ICTR and established a pool of ad litem judges at the ICTY.
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1932, adopted unanimously on June 29, 2010, after recalling resolutions 955 (1995), 1165 (1998), 1329 (2000), 1411 (2002), 1431 (2002), 1717 (2006), 1824 (2008), 1855 (2008), 1878 (2008) and 1901 (2009) on Rwanda, the Council noted that the 2010 target for the completion of trials at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) could not be met, and therefore extended the terms of 16 judges at the ICTR.
United Nations Security Council resolution 1482, adopted unanimously on 19 May 2003, after noting correspondence between the President of the Security Council, President of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) and President of the International Criminal Court, the Council extended the terms of office of four permanent judges at the ICTR in order to allow them to dispose of a number of ongoing cases.
United Nations Security Council resolution 1503, adopted unanimously on 28 August 2003, after recalling resolutions 827 (1993), 955 (1994), 978 (1995), 1165 (1998), 1166 (1998), 1329 (2000), 1411 (2002), 1431 (2002) and 1481 (2003), the Council decided to split the prosecutorial duties of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) which had previously been under the responsibility of one official, Carla Del Ponte, since 1999.
United Nations Security Council resolution 1534, adopted unanimously on 26 March 2004, after recalling resolutions 827 (1993), 955 (1994), 978 (1995), 1165 (1998), 1166 (1998), 1329 (2000), 1411 (2002), 1431 (2002) and 1481 (2003), the Council called on the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) to complete all trial activities by the end of 2008.
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1955, adopted unanimously on December 14, 2010, after recalling resolutions 955 (1995), 1165 (1998), 1329 (2000), 1411 (2002), 1431 (2002), 1717 (2006), 1824 (2008), 1855 (2008), 1878 (2008), 1901 (2009) and 1931 (2010) on Rwanda, the Council permitted three judges to complete their cases at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) beyond their terms of office, and increased the number of temporary judges at the tribunal.
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1684, adopted unanimously on June 13, 2006, after recalling resolutions 955 (1994), 1165 (1998), 1329 (2000), 1411 (2002), 1431 (2002), 1449 (2002), 1503 (2003) and 1534 (2004) concerning the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), the Council extended the terms of 11 judges beyond their expiry dates in order for them to complete the trials in which they were sitting.
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1705, adopted unanimously on August 29, 2006, after noting a letter from the President of the Security Council, the Council extended the term of Judge Solomy Balungi Bossa at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR).
United Nations Security Council Resolution 2006 was unanimously adopted on 14 September 2011.
United Nations Security Council Resolution 2013 was unanimously adopted on 14 October 2011.
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1877 was unanimously adopted on 7 July 2009.
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1824 was unanimously adopted on 18 July 2008.
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