SECRETARY-GENERAL WELCOMES RWANDA TRIBUNAL'S GENOCIDE JUDGEMENT AS LANDMARK IN INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL LAW

SG/SM/6687
L/2896
2 September 1998




The following statement was issued today by Secretary-General Kofi Annan:

The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda has today announced the
first-ever judgement on the crime of genocide by an international court.
This is a landmark decision in the history of international criminal law.
It brings to life, for the first time, the ideals of the Convention on the
Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, adopted 50 years ago.

This judgement is a testament to our collective determination to confront
the heinous crime of genocide in a way we never have before. It
is a defining example of the ability of the United Nations to establish an
effective international legal order and the rule of law.

Let us never again be accused of standing by while genocide and crimes
against humanity are being committed.

I am sure that I speak for the entire international community when I
express the hope that this judgement will contribute to the long-term
process of national reconciliation in Rwanda. For there can be no healing
without peace; there can be no peace without justice; and there can be no
justice without respect for human rights and the rule of law.