MOSCOW, December 15 (RAPSI) - Alexei Zhuravlyov, a State Duma lawmaker with the Rodina party, suggested that the Russian parliament make a proposal to the UN General Assembly to shut down the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), Izvestia reported on Monday.

Earlier, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that the length of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) indicates system-wide faults in the court’s operation that result in severe violations of the defendants’ rights.

The newspaper, citing Zhuravlyov, adds that the slow progress in ICTY hearings deteriorates its reputation and discredits the idea of international criminal justice under the authority of the UN Security Council.

Zhuravlyov suggested that the State Duma propose that the UN General Assembly take measures to shut down the ICTY under UNSC Resolution 1966 (2010) and that its rulings be reviewed by a legitimate judicial body.

The draft address to the UN General Assembly, parliaments of the UN member states and international parliamentary organizations will soon be considered by the State Duma, according to the newspaper.

An international Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) was established by the UN Security Council on May 25, 1993, in order to prosecute those involved in serious violations of international humanitarian law in the former Yugoslavia since 1991. The tribunal and the prison are located in The Hague. The efforts of the ICTY are mainly focused on the prosecution of the country’s former leaders.

In 2013, ICTY chair Theodor Meron stated that the tribunal's operations were scheduled to cease in mid-2016. By the end of 2014, there are still around ten cases being reviewed by ICTY, including appeals and ongoing trials. In his October adress to the UN, Meron stated that including the Ratko Mladic and five more cases, the ICTY operations will continue beyond 2017 at least.