Judge on Rwanda criminal tribunal

Maltese judge Carmel Agius has been sworn in as an Appeals Judge of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, trying key suspects of the 1994 genocide.

The swearing-in ceremony was presided over by Mr Justice Charles Dennis Byron, President of the Tribunal and witnessed by Adama Dieng, the registrar representing the United Nations Secretary-General.

The Rwandan genocide in 1994 saw the mass killing of at least 500,000 people in 100 days. Judge Agius, 64, who has presided over several cases at The Hague, started his career as a member of the judiciary in 1977 when he was appointed magistrate.

He later served as a judge presiding over the criminal and constitutional court.