Late last week the heads of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) informed their superiors at the United Nations General Assembly that their work is being hampered by a staff shortage.

In a news release issued Friday, November 11, the General Assembly warned that based on information provided to it by the presiding judges of the war crimes courts, the “great progress” made in the last year in “ending impunity for genocide and war crimes in the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda” may be slowed by the “alarming rate” at which experienced and qualified staff is departing.  In his annual report to the General Assembly, Judge Patrick Robinson (photo), president of the ICTY, told the world body:

The tribunal is taking all measures possible to expedite its trials, but as it nears the end of its mandate, highly qualified and essential staff continue to leave at "alarming" rates for more secure employment elsewhere
 
According to the companion report delivered by Judge Khalida Rachid Khan of the ICTR, the staff situation is just as dire in her court, as well.

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