News
Bar Boss to Focus ICTR Transfers2006-08-07All Africa Global Mediaby Felly Kimenyi The new Chairman of the Kigali Bar Association Gatera Gashabana, has pledged to ensure that lawyers are able to handle the challenges that will accrue from the transfer of genocide suspects and convicts from the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) to Rwanda. Gashabana, who was unanimously elected by the General Assembly of the Kigali Bar Association on Saturday to replace Jean Haguma, also said he will build on his predecessor's efforts to try sensitize the bar members to acclimatize themselves with international law, which he said, will be in force for the ICTR cases designated for Kigali. "I will help the Bar in its ongoing campaign to prepare for the transfer of cases from the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda to Kigali so that by the time of the transfers, the lawyers will be in position to help in defending those people," Gashabana said in his inaugural speech. The chairman-elect also said he will also try to help in extending legal assistance to the poor. "It is our obligation to see that a rule of law is in force and these people should be our charges especially the children and widows," Gashabana, who is an immediate former member of the Order, a management committee of the bar said. He commended Haguma for his efforts in ensuring that the law governing lawyers was amended to conform to international standards. Later, in an interview Haguma said he was happy with the developments registered by the association. "I am upbeat about the current situation of the Bar because when we started, we were only thirty and now we are over two hundred; this is very promising. Rwandans in the future will have no problem of defense lawyers, Haguma, who has been at the helm of the association for the last five years, said. Five other members of the Bar were also elected to replace those whose mandate had expired, with Athanase Rutabingwa winning the majority vote. All members of the Bar serve a two-year, renewable once. Gashabana becomes head of the Bar at a time it is embroiled in wrangles with the Kigali Defenders' Corps, the latter being paralegals who were allowed to practice law because of the shortage of lawyers after the genocide but have since been denied to practice as the number of qualified lawyers increased.
Channel: USHMM: International Law
| Copyright © 2004-2006 AskQ | Web Hosting by cHosting.com |