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26.05.2016 Africa

ACILA Honours Justice Emile Short, Names Center After Him

By Adjoa Afriyie
Justice Emile ShortJustice Emile Short
26.05.2016 LISTEN

International law and research, non-profit, and non-partisan think tank, Africa Center for International Law and Accountability (ACILA) has named its flagship international criminal justice center after Mr. Justice Emile Francis Short, a former Judge of the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR).

The center, called The Justice Emile Short Center for International Criminal Justice (Emile Short Center)will conduct research into international criminal justice, advocate for justice for victims of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide, deploy public outreach programs to educate the public, and provide training.

Mr. Short, who was also Ghana’s first Commissioner at the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), served as a Judge on the Rwanda Tribunal for five years, from 2004 to 2009 and from 2010 to 2011 after his nomination by President Kufuor was approved by the United Nations General Assembly. The tribunal tried army commanders, former ministers, and party stalwarts for their role in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.

Executive Director of ACILA, Mr. William Nyarko, said that Mr. Short’s contribution to ensuring justice for victims of the Rwandan genocide, in which an estimated 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus died, informed the decision to name the center after him, adding that the center is ACILA’s modest contribution to Mr. Short’s untiring efforts at securing justice for victims of Rwanda’s genocide.

Commenting on the naming of the Center after him, Mr. Short said that he appreciated the honour done him and expressed the hope that the Center will play a critical role in providing greater understanding and appreciation of the work of the International Criminal Court, especially the role that Africa can and should play in promoting international criminal justice.

In 1994, the world witnessed the unprecedented killing of Tutsis and moderate Hutus but failed to act. Surviving victims of the genocide spoke of the horror at seeing their family members and friends murdered with machetes. In an interview with the Daily Graphic after serving on the Rwanda Tribunal, Mr. Short recounted some of his experiences on the Tribunal saying it was both a challenge and an opportunity to assist in securing justice for victims of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.

“It was a challenging task because we were dealing with war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. Lawyers from all over the world appeared for the accused persons. It was a stimulating intellectual experience for me. It was the first genocide trial in Africa. I had to listen to horrific stories about rape, mass killings, etc., he said.

The Emile Short Center, to be situated in Accra, Ghana, where Mr. Short currently resides, will also have a library. ACILA is incorporated under US law as a 501 (c) (3) research and education, non-profit and non-partisan think tank. It also recently incorporated under Ghana law, where it is deploying its programs on international human rights, international criminal justice, rule of law and anti-corruption to Africa. ACILA also monitors African States’ compliance with international and regional instruments to which they are States Parties.

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