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Richard Goldstone has been awarded with this year’s MacArthur Award for his contribution to international justice.
Goldstone is a former prosecutor with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda. He filed the first indictment against Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic back in 1995, charging them both with genocide.
The award shall be conferred upon him for his contribution to the international justice development and his participation in the establishment of the first international war crimes court since the setting up of the Nuremberg Court after the Second World War.
Prior to his appointment as chief prosecutor at The Hague in 1994, he was chair of the Commission of Inquiry regarding Public Violence and Intimidation in his native South Africa. He was also a member of the Constitutional Court in his country.
The award provides him personally with US$ 100,000 and invites him to suggest an additional US$ 500,000 in support for non-profit organisations working on international justice promotion.
“Mr. Goldstone has played an instrumental role in building the emerging international system of justice,” the explanation for this award stated. “He gave a moral authority and legal credibility to the Tribunal. This award is, in large part, the testament to his work and credibility”.
“It is a great honour to receive the MacArthur award, as this organisation has been a leader in promoting human rights and international justice,” Richard Goldstone said, after having been informed of the award.
The award will be conferred upon Goldstone at The Hague on May 2009.
The former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan was also a recipient of this award in recognition for his contribution to the establishment of the International Criminal Tribunal.
