OFFICE OF HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS ENCOURAGED BY ARUSHA TRIBUNAL VERDICT

HR/98/63
2 September 1998



The following statement was made today by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson :


"The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights is encouraged to learn that the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda has just handed down the first verdict on the crime of genocide. This is indeed a powerful symbol that individuals cannot commit such horrendous crimes with impunity.

This decision marks a decisive step in international criminal law. Coming in the wake of the adoption in Rome of a statute for an International Criminal Court, the Arusha Tribunal's verdict strengthens efforts to prevent gross violations of international human rights and international law.

As the Secretary-General has stated, the Tribunal's judgment is a historic milestone and a defining example of the ability of the United Nations to create institutions which fulfil humanity's highest aspirations".