Agius takes over duty: Karadžić verdict early 2016, Court closes end of 2017

The new President of the Hague Tribunal, Carmel Agius, made a public statement on taking over his duties, parts of which are reported by the Patria News Agency.

- It is an exceptional honor for me to take over the position of President of the ICTY at a crucial moment, just before its work concludes. In many ways, the task of closing the International Tribunal will be as challenging as it is painful and unenviable. However, it is a role I have willingly accepted and which my colleagues have entrusted to me, and I intend to fulfill it with determination and to the best of my ability. Furthermore, I feel privileged and grateful to have been chosen to carry out this task.

I am also fortunate to be taking over at a time when the International Tribunal is strong and ready for its final two years of work, thanks to the dedicated and exceptional work of my recent predecessors, Judges Fausto Pocar, Patrick Robinson, and Theodor Meron.

At this moment, it is extremely important that we continue and strengthen our cooperation to close this International Tribunal by the end of 2017 in an efficient, professional, and exemplary manner. In doing so, we bear an enormous responsibility. We have a responsibility to the United Nations Security Council, to which we owe our existence and without whose support we would not have been able to achieve such success.

We have a responsibility to international humanitarian law and international criminal law, which we have exceptionally enriched through our jurisprudence. We have a responsibility to justice, due process, and the right of the accused to a fair trial, which must be of the utmost importance. We have a responsibility to the legacy we will leave behind at the end of our journey. We have a responsibility to the victims and their families. 

And indeed, although only two years remain until the expiry of our mandate, much remains to be done. By the end of this year, the appellate judgment in the case of Stanišić and Simatović is expected, as well as the appellate judgment in the exceptionally voluminous case before the ICTR involving multiple accused - the case of Nyiramasuhuko et al. In June 2016, an appellate judgment will be rendered in another case before the ICTY, the case of Stanišić and Župljanin, and during the first quarter of next year, first-instance verdicts are expected in the cases of Karadžić and Šešelj.

I also expect that a decision in the case of Hadžić will be made during 2016. When we reach that stage, all our efforts thereafter will be directed towards closing the International Tribunal and concluding the first-instance proceedings against Mladić and the appellate proceedings in the case of Prlić et al., the largest and most complex appellate proceedings before the International Tribunal in recent years.

The International Tribunal, like the Security Council, is determined to close the doors of this institution by the end of 2017. With this goal in mind, together with other relevant actors, I will ensure that all Trial Chambers have the staff and resources they need to bring their work to completion. This will not be easy.

Among other factors, the increasingly alarming and continuous outflow of experienced staff, although understandable, poses a serious threat to our genuine efforts to complete our mandate on time. This is an issue I intend to raise with the Security Council and other interlocutors during my upcoming mission to the United Nations in New York. Nevertheless, I hope for a positive outcome, as I believe that we and the Security Council share the same goal and aspiration, which is to successfully conclude this first major experiment in international criminal justice.

We are at a pivotal moment in the history of the International Tribunal. I am convinced that my colleagues and our valuable staff, under my leadership, will do everything to ensure that the International Tribunal continues to serve as the embodiment of the international community's noblest aspirations for justice. Today, as I take over my duties, I pledge to do the same, stated the new president of the Hague Tribunal.