Rwanda.

Security Council members were concerned over the deterioration of prison conditions, lack of proper legal protection, and the poor judicial system in Rwanda, and they called on the Government to improve the situation, Council President Park Soo Gil of the Republic of Korea told the press on 14 May.

Ambassador Park said members were also concerned about the deterioration of the overall security situation. They condemned the attack on the civilian population by elements of the former Armed Forces of Rwanda, in particular the killing of 17 schoolgirls on 28 April by Interahamwe militia. In addition, they stressed the need for the Government to cooperate closely with the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.

The schoolchildren were killed along with a headmistress in an attack on two schools in Murumba, western Rwanda. The attack also left another 13 pupils injured.

The Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Federico Mayor, in a 29 April statement, called that attack "an unforgivable crime against the most basic principles of humanity. It is all the more grievous as it undermines the Rwandan people's hope for a better future in their country which has been steeped in tragedy for so long." UNESCO "can but be outraged by such crimes perpetrated in a school which should be a haven of peace and learning, where a more propitious future is nurtured."

Tribunal

On 8 May, the first joint trial of the Rwanda Tribunal was adjourned after a month-long session. Clement Kayishema and Obed Ruzindana are charged with having participated in the massacre of Tutsis in Kibuye Prefecture between April and June 1994. The trial, which began on 11 April, will resume on a date to be agreed upon by all parties concerned. It was adjourned to allow for the recommencement of Jean-Paul Akayesu's trial.

For the moment, the Tribunal has only one courtroom for both Trial Chambers, and since the beginning of the year three trials have begun. Mr. Akayesu's trial began on 9 January, but was temporarily recessed at the request of the defense. The third trial is that of George Anderson Nderubumwe Rutaganda, which began on 18 March. During an initial appearance before the Tribunal on 7 March, another suspect, Colonel Theoneste Bagosora, pleaded not guilty to all charges against him, including genocide and crimes against humanity.

A United Nations spokesman on 7 May announced that the Tribunal had issued 14 new indictments involving 21 individuals. Thirteen of those accused are in custody: 12 in Arusha, United Republic of Tanzania, and 1 in the United States. The other 8 remain at-large.

On 29 April, Secretary-General Kofi Annan announced the appointment of Bernard Acho Muna of Cameroon as Deputy Prosecutor for the Tribunal, who is overseen by the Chief Prosecutor for the International Criminal Tribunals for Rwanda and the Former Yugoslavia, Justice Louise Arbour of Canada.

The Tribunal, based in Arusha, was established on 8 November 1994 by the Security Council, under resolution 955 (1994). It is mandated to prosecute persons responsible for genocide and other serious violations of international humanitarian law committed in the territory of Rwanda and Rwandan citizens responsible for such violations committed in the territory of neighbouring States in 1994.

Human Rights Commission appoints Special Representative

The Commission on Human Rights on 16 April, expressing grave concern at the deterioration in the human rights situation in Rwanda since the beginning of January 1997, decided to appoint a Special Representative to make recommendations to the Rwandan Government on how to improve respect for fundamental rights and freedoms in the country. It did not renew the three-year term of its former Special Rapporteur on Rwanda.

The Commission also condemned in the strongest terms any acts of violence or intimidation against United Nations or any other international staff serving in the country, especially the assassinations of five human rights observers, three members of Medecins du monde, and a Canadian national. The five observers were killed in an ambush in Rwanda in early February while driving in two clearly marked United Nations vehicles. The attack took place in Karengera Sector of Cyangugu prefecture in the south west of Rwanda.

The Commission welcomed the beginning of trials of those suspected of crimes of genocide and other crimes against humanity in Rwanda, but encouraged the Government to make efforts to meet fair-trial standards. It also expressed concern over conditions of detention and appealed to the international community to contribute further to financial and technical support of Rwanda's judicial system.