The Registry is one of the four organs of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon and it is responsible for the non-judicial aspects of the administration and the servicing of the Special Tribunal. It is headed by the Registrar who is primarily the Senior Administrator, but performs the functions of coordinator, mediator, facilitator and communicator across the Special Tribunal.
The Registry is at the centre of a complex set of responsibilities in running the Special Tribunal and the Registry should be seen as the “engine room” of any criminal justice institution. The nature of the Registry’s responsibilities is almost entirely administrative and involves a number of specific functions, especially in the areas of human resources, finance, languages, court management, procurement, security, press and public affairs, outreach and detention.
The administrative management activities of the Registry provide support to the work of the Chambers, the Prosecution and the Defence for the purpose of conducting trials. In particular, the offices of the Registry are also responsible for bringing witnesses to testify in court, protecting them when necessary and providing them with expert psychological support.
Elsewhere, an important aspect of the Registry’s support to the pre-trial, trial and appeal process is an effective interpretation and translation service. All the major documents of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon are translated into the official languages of the Tribunal which are English, Arabic and French.
In this support role it is important to note that the Registry must remain a neutral organ at all times in terms of balancing that support to all of the Special Tribunal’s other organs equally. In doing so, the Registry has to consciously maintain the quality, efficiency, transparency and timeliness of its activities bearing in mind that its work has a direct impact on the achievement of the wider goals of the Special Tribunal.
The Registry has also an important external diplomatic function. It is responsible for establishing and maintaining contacts between the other International Courts and Tribunals and the international community at large, including non-governmental organizations. It must also ensure the provision of regular information to the donor states as well as regular interaction with member states in general with regards to negotiations in respect of cooperation agreements including enforcement of sentences and relocation of witnesses. In particular, the Registry is responsible for ensuring an effective and cooperative working relationship with the Host Country, the Netherlands.
The Registrar
The UN Secretary-General appointed Mr. Herman von Hebel as Acting Registrar on 01 March 2010.
As Acting Registrar, Mr. von Hebel is in charge of the organ of the Tribunal which provides administrative, legal and other support essential for the successful completion of the institution’s mandate.
