Justice does not end with the delivery of a judgement President of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT), Judge Carmel Agius said Thursday presenting his first progress report to the UN Security Council (UNSC).

Justice does not end with the delivery of a judgement President of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT), Judge Carmel Agius said Thursday presenting his first progress report to the UN Security Council (UNSC).

“In order to have an enduring impact on international peace and justice, we must all remain committed not only to having trials and appeals and active judicial processes but also to what comes afterwards,” judge Agius said.

Regarding the IRMCT's residual judicial workload, President Agius noted that the Appeal Judgement in the case against the former president of Bosnia's Republika Srpska entity Radovan Karadzic was delivered on 20 March 2019 at the Mechanism’s Hague branch, stressing the timely conclusion of this significant case.

President Agius updated the UNSC on the former Bosnian Serb army general Ratko Mladic's appeal case, which is expected to conclude by the end of 2020, and the solid progress made in the Jovica Stanisic and Franko Simatovic re-trial, in which the Defence case commenced on 18 June 2019.

While emphasising the important work undertaken by international courts and tribunals, Agius said that “international criminal justice is not the responsibility of courts alone” and that “all those who are committed to the rule of law have a vital part to play in the fight against impunity.”

He reiterated the need to stand firm against those who deny the legitimacy of the findings of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), the ICTR and the IRMCT, particularly given the recent resurgence in genocide denial and revisionism.
In his view, “international criminal justice concerns us all, because justice is in the service of peace, and peace must be maintained on a daily basis”.

In closing, President Agius expressed determination to do his “utmost to maximise the Mechanism’s ability to deliver meaningful justice and to fulfil all aspects of its mandate in an effective and efficient manner”, and his hope that the Mechanism would continue to find support in the Council, as it has thus far.

Following the President’s address, statements were made by Members of the Council as well as by representatives of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Rwanda and Serbia.