The fourth plenary session of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) will be held in Arusha from 2 to 6 June 1997. The session will bring together the 11 Judges of the Tribunal, namely the six Judges of the two Trial Chambers and the five Judges of the Appeals Chamber for the two Tribunals for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia.

During this plenary session, the Judges will discuss the proposals for the amendment of the Rules of Procedure and Evidence of the Tribunal, the Rules of Detention and the Directive on the Assignment of Defense Counsel. They will also adopt the Annual Report that the President of the Tribunal is to submit to the United Nations General Assembly and the Security Council at the end of the year.

The Prosecutor, the Judges and the Registrar will also have to discuss other issues relating to the functioning of the Tribunal. Moreover, the Judges will elect the President and Vice-President of the Tribunal, as the terms of office of both incumbents come to an end next month. The President and Vice-President, who may be re-elected once, are elected for a term of two years, or such shorter term as shall coincide with the duration of their terms of office as Judges. President Laïty Kama and the Vice-President Judge Yakov Ostrovsky were both elected for the first time on 27 June 1995 during the first plenary session held in The Hague.

Press news

The trial of Jean-Paul Akayesu which was to resume on 21 May before Trial Chamber 1, has been postponed to the following day, Thursday 22 May at 09.30 a.m.