Prosecutors from region, ICTY meet in Skopje to discuss war crimes cases under ODIHR-led project
SKOPJE, 15 June 2011 – Twenty prosecutors from across the region met with their counterparts from the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) today in Skopje to exchange experiences on legal issues related to the prosecution of war crimes cases.
The meeting was organized as part of the EU-funded War Crimes Justice Project which is carried out by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in partnership with ICTY, the UN Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute and OSCE field operations. It gathered – for the first time in this format – prosecutors from Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and the host country.
The War Crimes Justice Project’s Regional Co-ordinator Romana Schweiger said: “Regular discussion between practitioners from jurisdictions in the region on legal issues strengthens ties. These technical meetings complement already established processes for political issues related to inter-state co-operation on war crimes cases.”
Topics on the agenda were agreed in consultation with national prosecutors, and ranged from procedural changes brought by criminal code reforms to witness protection and proving criminal liability.
The Prosecutor of the ICTY, Serge Brammertz, said: “We attach special attention to the exchange of experience and knowledge between the ICTY Office of the Prosecutor and national prosecutors. As the work of the ICTY progresses, we will remain committed to supporting national prosecutions and efforts to strengthen co-operation in war crimes prosecutions. “
The event was hosted by the Academy for the Training of Judges and Prosecutors in Skopje and supported by the OSCE Mission to Skopje.
The War Crimes Justice Project is a four-million euro regional project that aims to enhance the capacity of judiciaries in the region to handle complex war crimes cases.