The Swedish Royal Kingdom and the United Nations today signed in Arusha an agreement on the enforcement of sentences imposed by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR). The agreement was signed on behalf of Sweden by H.E. Ambassador Carl Henrik Ehrenkrona, Director-General of Legal Affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and on behalf of the United Nations by Mr. Adama Dieng, Assistant Secretary-General and Registrar of the ICTR. The signing agreement took place in the presence of Judge Erik Møse, President of the Tribunal and Justice Hassan Bubacar Jallow, Prosecutor.
The signing of this agreement is a very important step which underlines the commitment of the Swedish Government in facilitating the discharge and completion of the mandate of the ICTR.
The signature of the agreement confirms the long–standing cooperation of Sweden with the Tribunal. With the agreement, Sweden becomes the sixth country approved to receive convicts under the UN Tribunal’s enforcement of sentences provisions. Mali, Benin, Swaziland, France and Italy have already signed agreements on enforcement of sentences. At present, six convicts including the former Prime Minister of Rwanda, Jean Kambanda, are serving their sentences in Bamako, Mali.
According to the Statute of the Tribunal, sentences of imprisonment “shall be served in Rwanda or in any of the States on a list of States which have indicated to the Security Council their willingness to accept convicted persons as designated by the ICTR. Such imprisonment shall be in accordance with the applicable law of the State concerned, subject to the supervision of the ICTR”.
The ICTR Registrar Mr. Dieng commended the Government and the people of Sweden for their unwavering support and commitment to the work of the Tribunal and its mission of establishing peace through justice in Rwanda.
Czech Republic Contributes to the ICTR Trust Fund
The Czech Republic has made a contribution of US$ 10,000 to the ICTR Trust Fund. The grant has already been deposited into the Tribunal’s Account of the Trust Fund for Voluntary contributions. The Trust Fund supports and supplements the substantive and operational work programme of the ICTR funding from assessed contributions. The Registrar of the Tribunal Mr. Adama Dieng has paid tribute to the Government and the people of the Czech Republic for this important contribution.