Arusha, 4 November 2021 – Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (Mechanism) will be on official visit to Pretoria from 8 to 9 November 2021, as part of preparations for his regular biannual report to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
During his visit, Prosecutor Brammertz is scheduled to meet with representatives of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Police, the Ministry of Justice and the Department of International Relations and Cooperation. The Chief Prosecutor will further take the opportunity to meet with members of the diplomatic community in South Africa.
The primary topic of discussion will be the cooperation of the Republic of South Africa with the Mechanism Office of the Prosecutor in the search for the remaining fugitives indicted for genocide and other serious international crimes committed during the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda.
As Prosecutor Brammertz has regularly reported to the UNSC, the Republic of South Africa failed to arrest a fugitive present in its territory. In addition, there are many critical leads in South Africa concerning a number of genocide fugitives, for which South African authorities have not yet provided urgently needed support. The Chief Prosecutor sincerely hopes that during this visit, South African authorities will agree to concrete measures that will result in better cooperation, and ultimately achieve justice for the victims of genocide.
It is anticipated that Prosecutor Brammertz will submit his next report to the UNSC in November 2021.
