During his mission to Rwanda from 15 to 21 October 2007, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), Mr. Hassan Bubacar Jallow, as part of his programme, on Tuesday 16 October 2007 opened officially the European Union financed capacity building seminar on Best Practice in Information and Case Management for Rwandan Prosecutors at Hotel des Mille Collines in Kigali, held meetings with Rwandan government officials and some of the Diplomatic Corps accredited to Rwanda.

In the meeting held with the European Union Representative, Mr. Jallow briefed the Diplomats about the current status of the Tribunal’s work and its completion strategy. The ICTR Prosecutor discussed the ongoing trials, the issue of the transfer of cases to national jurisdictions including Rwanda, and cooperation between the Government of Rwanda and the Tribunal.

The Prosecutor urged the International Community to provide assistance to the Government of Rwanda in its efforts to strengthen the country’s judicial capacity.

The ICTR Prosecutor also briefed the Rwandan Minister of Justice, Mr. Tharcisse Karugarama and the Prosecutor General, Mr. Martin Ngoga on the latest developments at the Tribunal. He expressed satisfaction over the achievements made in preparation for transfer of cases to Rwanda. They also discussed common interests including cooperation between the Rwandan Government and the ICTR, the Tribunal’s support for capacity building of the Rwandan justice system. Mr. Jallow told the two Rwandan government officials that the Tribunal would continue implementing various projects aimed at strengthening the country’s judicial sector.

During his visit, The ICTR Prosecutor toured Kigali Central Prison where he expressed satisfaction on the new cells built for temporary detention of genocide suspects who may be transferred to Rwanda. He said that this was an indication that Rwanda has the capacity to handle cases from Arusha.

Before ending his mission, the Prosecutor also held a press conference with the local and international media in which he briefed them on the latest developments at the Tribunal and matters related to the Completion Strategy. Mr. Jallow also met with the Tribunal’s staff members in Kigali.