Judges from former Yugoslavia and ICTY share experiences on handling of war crime cases under OSCE/ODIHR-led project
ZAGREB, 17 January 2011 – Judges from the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and their peers from the region met in Zagreb today to share experiences in adjudicating war crimes cases.
Such peer-to-peer meetings are part of the regional War Crimes Justice Project, led by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), to enhance the capacity of legal professionals in the region in the processing of complex war crimes cases.
Some 20 judges, mainly from appellate courts in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, participated in the meeting with Judge Fausto Pocar and Judge Carmel Agius from the ICTY. Judges from Kosovo also attended the meeting. Participants discussed topics including the protection of witnesses and victims, the definition of “civilians” in war crimes cases and the role of appellate judges in reviewing cases.
“This project is essentially about strengthening the capacity of justice systems in the region to conduct war crimes trials in an effective and fair manner, consistent with the highest international standards of due process. It is about your justice systems and meeting your needs, but it is also about a shared commitment to the rule of law which is tested on a daily basis in courtrooms across the OSCE region,” said Douglas Wake, the First Deputy Director at OSCE ODHIR, during the opening of the meeting.
Judge Pocar said that sharing common experiences with judges in these courts strengthens the local judiciary but also enhances the work of the judges at all levels: “It is not just about the transfer of technical resources or knowledge, but it comes to sharing experiences, because we all have the same goal and we are faced with common problems in working on cases."
“As EU accession can become a reality for all countries of the region, it is important that the judiciary continues to strengthen its capacity to deal with war crimes and to co-ordinate within the region. This will be an excellent way to move ahead on the way to accession,” said Paolo Berizzi, Counselor at the EU Delegation to Croatia.
ICTY judges held a similar session in Sarajevo with judges from Bosnia and Herzegovina in December 2010, and a regional meeting of judges was also held in Belgrade in September 2010. These exchanges of experiences will continue throughout the region in forthcoming months.
The War Crimes Justice Project is a four-million euro regional project funded by the European Union and carried out by ODIHR in partnership with the ICTY, the UN Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute and OSCE field operations.
This project is funded by the European Union.
For more information please call Sanela Tunovic, War Crimes Justice Project Outreach Officer at ++387 61 539 535 or email at wcjp@odihr.pl.