The judges are Turkish Aydin Sefa Akay, 59, whom until his new appointment was Legal Counsellor, Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Turkey and Rajohnson Mparany Richard, 61, of Madagascar, who was the acting Prosecutor of Court of Appeal of Antananarivo before his new appointment.
The appointments are effective January. However, the judges have yet to arrive at the Tribunal's seat in Arusha, Tanzania.
The two judges join their colleague Justice Joseph Masanche of Tanzania, 64, who has already started duty at the ICTR at similar capacity.
Meanwhile, both the Prosecutor of ICTR and defence team in the genocide case against, Protais Zigiranyirazo, former brother-in-law of Rwandan President, the late Juvenal Habyariaman, have appealed against the conviction and a 20-year jail sentence handed down to the accused last December.
In two different notice of appeals filed by the prosecutor and defence on 15 and 19 of January, 2009 respectively, the parties claimed separately that the trial Chamber erred in it's determination of conviction and sentencing based on the events at Kiyovu roadblock in Kigali city and Kesho Hill in Gisenyi, North of Rwanda where several ethnic-Tutsis were slaughtered in April, 1994.
The Prosecutor stated that the Trial Chamber erred on the sentences imposed on Zigiranyirazo compelling him to serve them concurrently instead of consecutively.
On December 18, 2008, the appellant was sentenced to 20 years in prison on genocide for his involvement at Kesho Hill killings, another 15 years for his acts at the Kiyovu roadblock and for extermination he was sentenced to 20 years, all of which were directed to be served concurrently.
Next week, the trial of Idelphonce Hategekimana, former commander of Ngoma Camp, begins on Monday and Callixte Kalimanzira, former acting Minister of Interior, resumes after a month's recess. At the time of adjournment on December 4, 24 defence witnesses had already testified for the defendant
SC/GF
© Hirondelle News Agency