OSCE Mission to Serbia supports facility for witness and victim assistance
BELGRADE, 16 June 2008 - Witnesses and victims waiting to testify in war crimes cases and other trials at the Belgrade District Court will receive necessary support and assistance at a facility that opened in Belgrade today.
"This project will assist the War Crimes Chamber of the Belgrade District Court and the War Crimes Prosecutor's Office in conducting war crimes trials in line with the highest international standards," said Ambassador Hans Ola Urstad, the Head of the OSCE Mission.
The equipping of the facility was funded by the Government of the Netherlands.
"This project is another signal of the importance we attach to the work of the Serbian Government in the prosecution of war crimes," said Dutch Ambassador Ron van Dartel.
The President of the Belgrade District Court, Judge Sinisa Vazic, praised the continuous support of the OSCE Mission and the Embassy of the Netherlands to the Victim Witness Support Unit, saying that it helped in building the capacity of the War Crimes Chamber.
The project was initiated by the Serbian authorities in 2005 and will be implemented in the next three years.