UNMIK/PR/162
PRISTINA--The first international prosecutor to be appointed in Mitrovica, Mr. Jan Reint Johannes van Wijland (of the Netherlands) was sworn in this morning at UNMIK headquarters by the Special Representative of the Secretary General, Bernard Kouchner.
The appointment of Mr. van Wijland, who is an attorney with the OSCE in Kosovo, follows that of the first international judge, Mr. Christer Karphammar, from Sweden, who was sworn in on 15 February.
These appointments were authorized under UNMIK regulation 2000/6, "Appointment and Removal from Office International Judges and International Prosecutors" which SRSG Kouchner signed on 15 February as part of the implementation of UNMIK's emergency measures to restore security in Mitrovica.
Prior to the tensions which erupted in Mitrovica two weeks ago, the town had only a handful of local judges and prosecutors, appointed by UNMIK as part of the emergency judiciary established shortly after UNMIK's arrival in Kosovo in June. Appointments of some 25 additional local judges and prosecutors are pending.
UNMIK officials decided that the pressure upon the fledging local judiciary was so great as to warrant the immediate appointment of international jurists in order to quickly prosecute those suspected of inflaming the situation in Mitrovica. The international jurists will work in tandem with the local judges and prosecutor.
In taking their oaths of office, both international jurists vowed to work independently and impartially. They will use the applicable law of Kosovo, while upholding the highest internationally recognized standards of human rights.