ICTY, national prosecutors share experience in handling complex war crimes cases as part of OSCE/ODIHR-led project
BELGRADE, 20 January 2011– Prosecutors from the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and their national counterparts in the region today exchanged experiences in prosecuting complex war crime cases during a meeting in Belgrade.
The peer-to-peer meeting formed part of the EU-funded regional War Crimes Justice Project, led by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). The project aims to enhance the capacity of legal professionals in the region in the processing of complex war crimes cases.
About 20 prosecutors from Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia participated in the meeting with members of ICTY’s Office of the Prosecutor. They discussed and shared experiences on issues such as the management of war crimes investigations, access of the defence to evidence, establishment of responsibility for commanders in war crime cases and civilians forfeiting their status as protected persons.
Serbian War Crimes Prosecutor Vladimir Vukčević said that prosecutors in the region face similar challenges when they prosecute war crimes cases but often use different solutions.
“Ongoing dialogue and discussion of various experiences is essential. This professional exchange is timely as the latest changes in the criminal procedure codes will allow for a more proactive role of prosecutors during investigations. Regional and ICTY prosecutors share the goal of fighting impunity for war crimes and bringing to justice those responsible,” he said.
Serge Brammertz, the Prosecutor of the ICTY, sent a message underlining the importance of such interaction between prosecutors, which contributes to the successful investigation and prosecution of war crimes cases at the national level. He also said that his office would continue to actively support further development of this cooperation.
ODIHR’s Regional Co-ordinator, Romana Schweiger, said peer-to-peer meetings of regional and ICTY practitioners strengthened the knowledge and capacity of prosecutorial and judicial institutions. The project builds on OSCE field operations’ experience in facilitating such professional exchange, she added.
The meeting was organized in co-operation with OSCE Mission to Serbia and hosted by the Serbian War Crimes Prosecutor.
It follows a prosecutors meeting held at the national level, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in December 2010 and a regional meeting for judges in Zagreb earlier this week. Another regional peer-to-peer meeting for prosecutors is planned in the coming months.
The War Crimes Justice Project is a 4-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.