At the invitation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of The Netherlands in The Hague, Justice Hassan B. Jallow, Prosecutor of the ICTR and the MICT, gave a keynote speech, on 23 June 2015, at a strategic meeting of supporting States for an international convention on mutual legal assistance for international crimes.

Speaking on the theme “Towards a Multilateral Treaty for Mutual Legal Assistance for international crimes” in The Hague, Prosecutor Jallow expressed his strong support for and the utility of such an international convention stating that it can “provide a universal framework for a multilateral approach to cooperation and assistance leading to harmonized domestic legislation, streamlining of policies and procedures, and a uniformity of approach to international cooperation and legal assistance”. Prosecutor Jallow remarked that the international community must now embark on a serious effort to make this convention a reality especially because as the ad hoc international criminal tribunals and the hybrid courts complete their respective mandates, the primary responsibility of prosecuting international crimes now rests on national jurisdictions.

Among other things, Prosecutor Jallow stated that an international convention on mutual legal assistance for international crimes can encourage States to create in their respective national jurisdictions specialized international crimes units dedicated exclusively to the investigation and prosecution of international crimes and which can also serve as focal points for their counterparts in other States.

Finally, Prosecutor Jallow thanked the International Crimes Unit of the Public Prosecution Service and the Government of The Netherlands for their strong support, cooperation and partnership with the ICTR and the MICT and for their strong support of the laudable proposal for a multilateral convention on mutual legal assistance for international crimes.