United Nations Security Council Resolution 1534
Encyclopedia
United Nations
Security Council Resolution
1534, adopted unanimously on March 26, 2004, after recalling resolutions 827
(1993), 955
(1994), 978
(1995), 1165
(1998), 1166
(1998), 1329
(2000), 1411
(2002), 1431
(2002) and 1481
(2003), the Council called on the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
(ICTY) and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
(ICTR) to complete all trial activities by the end of 2008.
and Rwanda
. It envisaged, in accordance with Resolution 1503
(2004), the completion of ICTY and ICTR investigations by 2004, trials by the end of 2008 and all work in 2010. There was concern that the completion strategies for both tribunals could not be implemented.
, the Council called on all states, particularly Bosnia and Herzegovina
, Croatia
, Serbia and Montenegro
and the Republic Srpska within Bosnia and Herzegovina to co-operate with the ICTY with regard to Radovan Karadžić
, Ratko Mladić
and Ante Gotovina
. Meanwhile, the Democratic Republic of the Congo
, Kenya
, Rwanda
and the Republic of the Congo
, among other states, were requested to co-operate with the ICTR with regard to Félicien Kabuga
and the Rwandan Patriotic Army. The Council, emphasising the importance of implementing the completion strategies, asked the prosecutor
s to review their caseloads and determine which cases to proceed with and those to defer to national jurisdiction
s, while prioritising the trials of senior leaders. Both tribunals were asked to report every six months on progress towards implementing the completion strategies.
The resolution praised countries that had concluded agreements for enforcing the sentences of persons convicted by the ICTR and ICTY and encouraged others to do so. It noted that strengthening national judicial systems was crucial to the implementation of the completion strategies. Finally, the Council welcomed efforts to establish a war crime
s chamber in Sarajevo
, Bosnia and Herzegovina
and to ensure the success of domestic prosecutions in the country.
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
Security Council Resolution
United Nations Security Council Resolution
A United Nations Security Council resolution is a UN resolution adopted by the fifteen members of the Security Council; the UN body charged with "primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security"....
1534, adopted unanimously on March 26, 2004, after recalling resolutions 827
United Nations Security Council Resolution 827
United Nations Security Council Resolution 827, adopted unanimously on May 25, 1993, after reaffirming Resolution 713 and all subsequent resolutions on the topic of the former Yugoslavia, approved report S/25704 of Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali, with the Statute of the International...
(1993), 955
United Nations Security Council Resolution 955
United Nations Security Council Resolution 955, adopted on November 8, 1994, after recalling all resolutions on Rwanda, the Council noted that serious violations of international humanitarian law had taken place in the country and, acting under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, established...
(1994), 978
United Nations Security Council Resolution 978
United Nations Security Council Resolution 978, adopted unanimously on February 27, 1995, after recalling all previous resolutions on Rwanda, including 935 and 955 , the Council instructed Member States on the arrest and detention of persons responsible for acts during the Rwandan Genocide, within...
(1995), 1165
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1165
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1165, adopted unanimously on April 30, 1998, after recalling Resolution 955 , the Council established a third trial chamber at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda ....
(1998), 1166
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1166
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1166, adopted unanimously on May 13, 1998, after recalling Resolution 827 , the Council established a third trial chamber at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia ....
(1998), 1329
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1329
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1329, adopted unanimously on November 30, 2000, after recalling resolutions 827 and 955 , the Council enlarged the appeals chambers at both the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia...
(2000), 1411
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1411
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1411, adopted unanimously on May 17, 2002, after recalling resolutions 827 , 955 , 1165 , 1166 and 1329 , the Council amended the statutes of the International Criminal Tribunals for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia to address the issue of judges...
(2002), 1431
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1431
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1431, adopted unanimously on August 14, 2002, after recalling resolutions 827 , 955 , 1165 , 1166 , 1329 and 1411 , the Council established a pool of temporary judges at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in order for it to complete its work...
(2002) and 1481
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1481
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1481, adopted unanimously on May 19, 2003, after recalling resolutions 827 , 1166 , 1329 , 1411 and 1431 , the Council amended the statute of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia to allow temporary judges to adjudicate in...
(2003), the Council called on the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
The International Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia since 1991, more commonly referred to as the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia or ICTY, is a...
(ICTY) and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda is an international court established in November 1994 by the United Nations Security Council in Resolution 955 in order to judge people responsible for the Rwandan Genocide and other serious violations of international law in Rwanda, or by Rwandan...
(ICTR) to complete all trial activities by the end of 2008.
Observations
The Security Council commended the progress both tribunals had made in contributing to peace and security in the former YugoslaviaFormer Yugoslavia
The former Yugoslavia is a term used to describe the present day states which succeeded the collapse of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia....
and Rwanda
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
. It envisaged, in accordance with Resolution 1503
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1503
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1503, adopted unanimously on August 28, 2003, after recalling resolutions 827 , 955 , 978 , 1165 , 1166 , 1329 , 1411 , 1431 and 1481 , the Council decided to split the prosecutorial duties of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia ...
(2004), the completion of ICTY and ICTR investigations by 2004, trials by the end of 2008 and all work in 2010. There was concern that the completion strategies for both tribunals could not be implemented.
Acts
Acting under Chapter VII of the United Nations CharterChapter VII of the United Nations Charter
Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter sets out the UN Security Council's powers to maintain peace. It allows the Council to "determine the existence of any threat to the peace, breach of the peace, or act of aggression" and to take military and nonmilitary action to "restore international peace...
, the Council called on all states, particularly Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
, Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
, Serbia and Montenegro
Serbia and Montenegro
Serbia and Montenegro was a country in southeastern Europe, formed from two former republics of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia : Serbia and Montenegro. Following the breakup of Yugoslavia, it was established in 1992 as a federation called the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia...
and the Republic Srpska within Bosnia and Herzegovina to co-operate with the ICTY with regard to Radovan Karadžić
Radovan Karadžic
Radovan Karadžić is a former Bosnian Serb politician. He is detained in the United Nations Detention Unit of Scheveningen, accused of war crimes committed against Bosnian Muslims and Bosnian Croats during the Siege of Sarajevo, as well as ordering the Srebrenica massacre.Educated as a...
, Ratko Mladić
Ratko Mladić
Ratko Mladić is an accused war criminal and a former Bosnian Serb military leader. On May 31, 2011, Mladić was extradited to The Hague, where he was processed at the detention center that holds suspects for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia...
and Ante Gotovina
Ante Gotovina
Ante Gotovina is a former Senior Corporal of the French Foreign Legion and former Lieutenant General of the Croatian Army who served in the Croatian War for Independence...
. Meanwhile, the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
, Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, Rwanda
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
and the Republic of the Congo
Republic of the Congo
The Republic of the Congo , sometimes known locally as Congo-Brazzaville, is a state in Central Africa. It is bordered by Gabon, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo , the Angolan exclave province of Cabinda, and the Gulf of Guinea.The region was dominated by...
, among other states, were requested to co-operate with the ICTR with regard to Félicien Kabuga
Félicien Kabuga
Félicien Kabuga is a Rwandan businessman, accused of bankrolling and participating in the Rwandan Genocide. He has always claimed he is innocent.-Early life:...
and the Rwandan Patriotic Army. The Council, emphasising the importance of implementing the completion strategies, asked the prosecutor
Prosecutor
The prosecutor is the chief legal representative of the prosecution in countries with either the common law adversarial system, or the civil law inquisitorial system...
s to review their caseloads and determine which cases to proceed with and those to defer to national jurisdiction
Jurisdiction
Jurisdiction is the practical authority granted to a formally constituted legal body or to a political leader to deal with and make pronouncements on legal matters and, by implication, to administer justice within a defined area of responsibility...
s, while prioritising the trials of senior leaders. Both tribunals were asked to report every six months on progress towards implementing the completion strategies.
The resolution praised countries that had concluded agreements for enforcing the sentences of persons convicted by the ICTR and ICTY and encouraged others to do so. It noted that strengthening national judicial systems was crucial to the implementation of the completion strategies. Finally, the Council welcomed efforts to establish a war crime
War crime
War crimes are serious violations of the laws applicable in armed conflict giving rise to individual criminal responsibility...
s chamber in Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
and to ensure the success of domestic prosecutions in the country.
See also
- Bosnian GenocideBosnian GenocideThe term Bosnian Genocide refers to either the genocide committed by Bosnian Serb forces in Srebrenica in 1995 or the ethnic cleansing campaign that took place throughout areas controlled by the Bosnian Serb Army during the 1992–1995 Bosnian War....
- List of United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1501 to 1600 (2003 – 2005)
- Rwandan GenocideRwandan GenocideThe Rwandan Genocide was the 1994 mass murder of an estimated 800,000 people in the small East African nation of Rwanda. Over the course of approximately 100 days through mid-July, over 500,000 people were killed, according to a Human Rights Watch estimate...
- Yugoslav WarsYugoslav warsThe Yugoslav Wars were a series of wars, fought throughout the former Yugoslavia between 1991 and 1995. The wars were complex: characterized by bitter ethnic conflicts among the peoples of the former Yugoslavia, mostly between Serbs on the one side and Croats and Bosniaks on the other; but also...