ICTR prosecutor relishes “intense period” ahead

The prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), Carla del Ponte, said on Tuesday she was pleased by the progress it had made in the last year, but stressed that plenty of work remained. In the coming months, the Tribunal would enter a “very intense period,” with very senior figures facing justice, she said. These senior-level trials were “the reason the Tribunal was created”, said Del Ponte. “We have been waiting for these cases to come to court for many months,” she added. The prosecutor, making her first appearance at the Security Council along with the presidents of the Rwandan and Yugoslavia tribunals, said 44 people were in custody at the ICTR in Arusha, where three trials were currently in progress. ICTR President Navanathem Pillay said the challenges facing the Tribunal included the timely extradition of suspects by member states and the appointment of counsel of choice for those without means.