Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN)– US Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues Stephen J. Rapp will arrive in the capital Dhaka on Monday for a round of meetings with senior Bangladeshi government officials, political leaders, civil society groups and the media.
Prior to his appointment as the Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues, Ambassador Rapp served as Prosecutor of the Special Court for Sierra Leone beginning in January 2007, leading the prosecutions of former Liberian President Charles Taylor and other persons alleged to bear the greatest responsibility for the atrocities committed during the civil war in Sierra Leone, a US embassy press statement said in Dhaka on Sunday.
During his tenure, his office achieved the first convictions in history for sexual slavery and forced marriage as crimes against humanity, as well as convictions for attacks on peacekeepers and for the recruitment and use of child soldiers as violations of international humanitarian law.
Appointed by President Obama, Ambassador Rapp was confirmed by the Senate and assumed his duties on September 8, 2009.
He is visiting Bangladesh at the invitation of the Government of Bangladesh to share his experiences and perspectives on war crimes issues, and will depart Dhaka on January 13.
BBN/SI/AD-09Jan11-11:41 pm (BST)
