
Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam spoke highly of progress madeby the United Nations Security Council (UNSC)’s International ResidualMechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT), said a Vietnamese official at aperiodical meeting of the council to review the mechanism on June 8.
Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy, head of the Vietnamese Mission tothe UN and chairman of the UNSC’s Informal Working Group on InternationalTribunals, acknowledged the past trial results, stressing the request for fairjudgment following the correct procedure.
Praising the mechanism’s progress in terms of ensuringgender equality, the diplomat said he supports increased cooperation to helpthe mechanism complete its remaining caseload as soon as possible.
At the meeting, Carmel Agius, President of the InternationalResidual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, said due to the impact of theCOVID-19 pandemic, cases that were on track to conclude by the end of 2020 arenow expected to wind down in the first part of 2021.
Data stored in The Hague (the Netherlands) and Arusha(Tanzania) and procedural rules will be completed, he added.
He highlighted the arrest on May 16 this year of fugitiveFélicien Kabuga as a major breakthrough in punishing severe internationalcrimes. The fugitive was a key suspect in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsiin Rwanda, who had evaded capture for over 20 years.
Participants took note of the IRMCT’s progress in trialwork, document management, witness protection, and COVID-19 preventionmeasures.
They also urged member nations to support the mechanism inline with the council’s resolutions.
The UNSC created the IRMCT in December 2010 to perform anumber of essential functions previously carried out by the InternationalCriminal Tribunal for Rwanda and the International Criminal Tribunal for theformer Yugoslavia. The council reviews the operation of the mechanism every sixmonths./.