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The participants of the conference

The ICTR will shortly face its closure. Whereas the trial at first instance should have been finished in 2008, the institution has been extended three times. In December 2010, the trials at first instance have been scheduled to end in December 2011. Even though many problems have still not been solved (records location and management; transfers, jurisdiction in charge after the closure, the fugitives), time has come for assessments and retrospective analysis. The 2009 Geneva conference has aimed to open this cycle and could be characterised by the following features:


° The floor to the stakeholders of international criminal justice

The ICTR is the result of the work of almost a thousand people: judges, counsels, prosecutors, investigators, members of the Registry, interpreters, court reporters, officers in charge of the witnesses protection, of the detention centre etc. Dispatched between the different organs of the institution, working in the front line or in core positions, they have experienced the institution from the inside.

Through their work, their choices and opinions, they have made evolved the institution during its 16 years of activity. Beyond the institution’s staff, about two or three thousand people have contributed to this new jurisdiction: witnesses, experts, journalists, activists for human rights, and representatives of the States. Back to 1994 when the institution was created, almost everything had to be invented. The ICTR is the result of these various interactions, evolving according the circumstances and the various balance of powers.

In order to address the ICTR legacy to the other international criminal courts, it seemed essential to give the floor to the protagonists and to learn from their experience. The distinctiveness of the Geneva conference and of this website consists in the attention paid to these actors.



° The pluralism

Whereas international conferences are often organised by “organ” (Office of the Prosecutor, Registry, Defence), the Geneva conference succeeded to open the dialogue between different categories of actors. This choice has led to foster unusual discussions, intense debates and animated exchanges between prosecutors and defence counsels, lawyers and witnesses, expert witnesses and investigators, academics and judges, State representatives and members of the Registry, the OTP and the journalists.



The participants were not invited to deliver a formal communication but to take the floor on a spontaneous basis with regard to the different subjects asset to each session. The publication of the full transcripts of the debates and the creation of this website were highly motivated by this pluralism without boundaries - except for the one of negationism – in order to share this collective and contradictory reflection.


° The ICTR over the years

The existence of the ICTR is divided into different periods. The institution has evolved according to the cases it had to deal with and according to the persons who were in charge. From 1994 to 2010 the Court has considerably evolved and its legacy has been variously established. In order to take into account this change over the years, the participants were invited not only with regard to their current position but also with regard to their past experiences at the ICTR. Most of them have pursued their career in other international courts. Therefore, the Geneva conference has enabled dialogue among former and current Prosecutors, Chiefs of investigation, persons who assisted from the very beginning, lawyers who work at other courts today. This retrospective perspective was meant to achieve a comparative dimension and to be free of some immediate contingencies. Thus, the debates have led to a substantial reflection that this website intends to share today.


° The academic influence

The project was managed by academics. Their independence has been preserved all though the process: invitations, organisation of the debates, outcomes release. This independence is the result of the comprehensive and respectful understanding of our supports. We would like to thank them again and to express them our gratitude



This section enables you to discover the different participants of this conference. They are presented according the category of duties they assume or have assumed in relation with the ICTR

Cooperation of states// Judges & Legal officers // OTP // Registry // Defence // Witnesses// Journalists // Academics and chairmen

You will find:

Name and photo of the participant

≈ (Past or current) position at the ICTR

° Position in 2010

List and links to their contribution



Others tools of navigation

Section Verbatim: go to the full transcripts by session

Section Search tools: search the transcripts by participant and/or keyword