ICTY

With Kosovo on the brink of declaring its independence from Serbia, the case against its resistance hero former Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj came to an end on January 23 before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY).

The majority of the 28 war crime trials that took place in Croatia in 2007 met standards of fairness, according to a February 4 report by four Croatian NGOs: the Centre for Peace and Human Rights, the Centre for Dealing with the Past, the Civil Committee on Human Rights and the Croatian Helsinki Committee for Human Rights. These organizations founded a monitoring team that has been following all war crime trials in this country since 2005.

After four and a half years of proceedings, the trial of Vojislav Seselj will open at The Hague on November 7. For the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), the former president of the Serbian Radical Party (SRS) represents the most important political figure to be tried since the death of former Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic in March 2006. One year ago, the appeals chamber confirmed that Seselj had the right to self representation. But since then, the accused has refused to supply information regarding his financial situation and the tribunal is refusing to reimburse his defense fees.

From its very creation in May 1993, The Hague-based ICTY was branded the heir of the 1945 Nuremberg tribunal. But while the Nuremberg prosecutors had only Germans in the dock, this new UN court would make a point of not being victor's justice. With the UN Security Council mandate "to maintain and restore international peace and security" came the Tribunal's obligation to investigate and prosecute crimes committed by individuals on all sides of the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia. The ICTY has done this, but it has not avoided political justice.

On March 10, 2008, almost two years to the day after former Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic died, the trial of Jovica Stanisic and Franko "Frenki" Simatovic is expected to start before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). But this trial, which could help establish the link between Belgrade and the Bosnian Serbs who perpetrated the Srebrenica massacre, is likely to be something of a sideshow. 

The search for human remains buried in Lake Perucac, situated along the border between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia, has ended. The water levels, drained for over two months, are now restored. On the last day of the search, families of those hoping to find loved ones came to pay their respects and to pray for those whose bodies will remain buried under the water forever.

When Serge Brammertz took over as Chief Prosecutor for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in 2008, Radovan Karadzic was still on the run. Today he’s on trial, but two other men are still at large. Brammertz told the IJT why it’s so important to bring them to justice.

Relatives of three victims of the 1995 Srebrenica massacre last week filed a complaint with the Dutch prosecutor’s office charging three former United Nations peacekeepers with complicity in genocide, war crimes and murder.

On 25 August 2010, the UN Secretary-General published a report at the behest of the UN Security Council (UNSC), on the available options ‘to further the aim of prosecuting and imprisoning persons responsible for acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia.’ This report can be seen as a summary of a debate that was started in 2009 within the confines of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia.

There is a constant background noise in Srebrenica of water running and birds singing. The atmosphere seems relaxed and calm - appropriate for a former spa destination. And standing in the centre of town that is all one can hear - the water stream. Now and then a car will drive by, a dog will bark, the church bells will chime, and the speakers of the recently rebuilt mosque will sound the call to prayer. Time is still.