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Viewing cable 09DARESSALAAM643, ICTR PREPARES FOR CLOSURE, SIGNIFICANT WORK REMAINS

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
09DARESSALAAM643 2009-09-30 14:57 2011-08-24 00:00 UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Embassy Dar Es Salaam
VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHDR #0643/01 2731457
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 301457Z SEP 09
FM AMEMBASSY DAR ES SALAAM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8901
INFO RUEHSB/AMEMBASSY HARARE 0588
RUEHLGB/AMEMBASSY KIGALI 1445
RUEHKI/AMEMBASSY KINSHASA 0328
RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 1395
RUEHTC/AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE 1095
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 0510
UNCLAS DAR ES SALAAM 000643 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR S/WCI, AF/E JTREADWELL, INR FEHRENREICH 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PHUM UNGA ICTR RW TZ
SUBJECT: ICTR PREPARES FOR CLOSURE, SIGNIFICANT WORK REMAINS 
 
1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Officials of the International Criminal Tribunal 
for Rwanda (ICTR) briefed Dar es Salaam-based diplomats September 25 
on the status of the tribunal's work.  ICTR officials expected to 
meet the planned 2010 deadline for closure of the tribunal, despite 
some case delays.  However, plans for a residual mechanism to handle 
cases after 2010 remained unclear; ICTR officials stated that any 
transfers to national jurisdiction would be contingent on Rwanda 
establishing video conferencing and witness protection programs. 
ICTR asked for support as it seeks the return of fugitives from DRC, 
Zimbabwe, and Kenya.  ICTR's president will travel to UNGA in 
mid-October to discuss these and other issues.  He noted the U.S. is 
USD 29.8 million in arrears.  END SUMMARY 
 
2. (U) On September 25, PolOff joined members of the "Friends of 
ICTR" group, including Ambassadors to Tanzania from Germany, the 
United Kingdom, Italy, Belgium, and Canada and Political Officers 
from France, Germany and the Netherlands at ICTR Headquarters in 
Arusha for a meeting with Dennis Byron, President of the ICTR; 
Hassan B. Jallow, Chief Prosecutor; and Bongani Majola, Registrar. 
 
Progress towards and Obstacles to 2010 Closure 
--------------------------------------------- - 
3. (U) Byron detailed the court's current workload: seven ongoing 
trials and an additional six cases, involving 16 accused, for which 
ICTR staff are preparing judgments.  Byron expected four judgments 
to be handed down before the end of the year, including a decision 
in the Tharcisse Muvunyi retrial.  In addition, two new cases are 
scheduled to start in October and November. While the evidence phase 
for several cases is likely to continue into 2010 due to procedural 
delays, Byron expects all remaining judgments to be rendered before 
the end of 2010.  Byron explained that some cases had experienced 
delays due to problems locating witnesses, ailing defendants, and 
staffing constraints.  In an effort to accelerate the process, ICTR 
is working to compress the timeline of cases while maintaining 
strict adherence to fair trial standards. 
 
4. (U) With ICTR's closure in the offing, Byron highlighted the 
problem of staff retention and the impact it is having on ICTR's 
operations.  He offered the example of one prosecutor who recently 
departed to work for the Canadian government; he requested the High 
Commissioner's assistance in having her seconded back to ICTR. 
Byron said they are working to find a means of offering contractual 
security to employees to encourage them to complete their work with 
ICTR.  However, the tribunal needs sufficient financial resources to 
maintain its staff and work towards wrapping up the proceedings. 
 
5. (SBU) Byron fielded several questions regarding the post-2010 
plans for new and existing cases, appeals, and the creation of the 
ICTR archives.  Byron said the UN Security Council had not made any 
decisions regarding the residual mechanism for ICTR or the location 
of the ICTR archives.  However, he noted his preference for separate 
mechanisms to handle residual cases from ICTR and the International 
Criminal Tribunal of the Former Yugoslavia, with the ICTR mechanism 
and archive retained in Arusha. 
 
6. (SBU) Prosecutor Jallow said he believes nine of the twelve 
remaining fugitives can be referred to national jurisdiction. 
Jallow said, however, that although transfer may be legally possible 
for nine of the fugitives, Rwanda must address two outstanding 
logistical barriers before ICTR will initiate transfers.  Rwanda's 
courts do not have the technological capabilities to support video 
conferencing, although Rwanda enacted legislation to enable witness 
testimony by video link.  In addition, Rwanda does not have an 
established witness protection program.  Jallow said the government 
of Rwanda needed both technical and financial assistance to set up a 
witness protection program.  Registrar Majola commented that Rwandan 
officials had not been fully cooperative with ICTR in resolving 
these two issues. 
 
Problems with State Cooperation 
------------------------------- 
7. (SBU) Of the remaining 12 fugitives, Byron said the majority are 
in the Democratic Republic of Congo.  However, there is one in Kenya 
and another in Zimbabwe.  He lamented the lack of cooperation from 
these states on bringing these individuals to justice, though he 
said the recent cooperation from the DRC on the transfer of Gregoire 
Ndahimana set a good precedent for future collaboration. 
 
8. (SBU) The British High Commissioner noted the month long delay 
between Ndahimana's capture and his transfer to the ICTR.  Jallow 
explained that authorities in the DRC transferred Ndahimana to 
Kinshasa instead of Goma as originally planned, asserting the need 
to interview him for national security reasons.  Once Ndahimana was 
 
in Kinshasa, the GDRC would not give ICTR a date for his transfer. 
(Note: During the discussion of the handover, the Prosecutor noted 
that GDRC officials asked that Laurent Nkunda be transferred to 
Kinshasa. No further details of this exchange were provided.)  Byron 
claimed to have precipitated the transfer by writing to President 
Kabila of Byron's plan to raise the issue during the UNGA, which 
Kabila was scheduled to attend. 
 
9. (SBU) Byron further expressed concern about the lack of support 
from Kenya and Zimbabwe in securing the return of Felicien Kabuga 
and Protais Mpiranya.  He said Kenya had stopped responding to 
ICTR's requests for the return of Kabuga.  Although the GOZ had 
established a team to find Mpiranya, it had been disbanded. ICTR is 
trying to reestablish a dialogue with Zimbabwe.  Byron said he would 
engage the President or Prime Minister of Zimbabwe directly if he 
continued not to get cooperation, although he doubted the Prime 
Minister has the capacity to assist.  The Registrar said he would 
like western governments to "shame" Kenya and Zimbabwe into handing 
over these suspects. 
 
On the ICTR President's Agenda for UNGA 
--------------------------------------- 
10. (U) Byron will travel to New York to present the ICTR's budget 
in mid-October.  Although he declined to give the budget estimate, 
Byron indicated the budget would be slightly lower than last year. 
However, Byron expressed concern that ICTR was having difficulty 
getting on the UNGA agenda and requested assistance from the 
Friends.  On the budget, the Registrar thanked the Friends for their 
past financial support, but indicated that the U.S. had an unpaid 
balance of USD 29.8 million and the Belgians an outstanding balance 
of USD 1.7 million. 
 
11. (U) In New York, ICTR officials will also seek funding for 
several proposals.  In 2000, ICTR began the Medical Support Project 
for Witnesses living with HIV and AIDS, which offers counseling, 
care, and treatment to HIV-positive witnesses.  Because the funding 
for this initiative will be depleted in December, ICTR is requesting 
USD 200,000 for 2010 and USD 200,000 for 2011 to continue the 
project.  In addition, ICTR would like to conduct an appellate 
advocacy training to build its staff's capacity to handle appeals. 
This program would cost USD 180,000. 
 
12. (U) The final item on Byron's agenda for UNGA is the disparity 
in benefits offered to the ICTR judges.  Byron noted with some 
concern that the nine judges originally hired to hear cases and 
those hired subsequently to assist with cases are not offered the 
same compensation.  Given the duration of their service and the 
significance of their role, he believes the additional nine judges 
should be eligible for pensions. 
 
ICTR Detention Facility 
----------------------- 
13. (U) Following the meeting at ICTR, the Friends of ICTR group 
toured the tribunal's detention facility, which currently holds 38 
individuals who are either serving their sentences, awaiting trial, 
or appealing their sentences.  (Note: twenty-four individuals 
convicted by the ICTR are serving out their sentences in Mali (15) 
and Benin (9). Saidou Guindo, Commanding Officer of the detention 
facility, said that prisoners had been very concerned about the 
prospect of being transferred to Rwanda to finish their sentences. 
However, once the decision was made to send inmates to Mali and 
Benin, the atmosphere in the facility immediately improved.) 
 
14. (U) Conditions in the prison are good.  Prisoner are housed in 
individual cells with opportunities to meet with lawyers, exercise, 
communicate with family, practice their religion, watch television, 
study English, and use a computer.  Prisoners awaiting trial and 
those already sentenced are kept in separate cell blocks. Prisoners 
who are serving as witnesses in other trials are in private cell 
blocks. 
 
ANDRE