Judges from ICTY, Bosnia and Herzegovina discuss handling war crimes cases under OSCE/ODIHR-led project

SARAJEVO, 10 December 2010 - Judges from the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) today discussed experiences in adjudicating war crimes cases with peers from Bosnia and Herzegovina as part of the regional War Crimes Justice Project led by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). 

The peer-to-peer meeting was the first of its kind organized in Bosnia and Herzegovina within the framework of the project, which aims to enhance the capacity of legal professionals in the region to handle complex war crimes cases.

Some 30 judges from all court instances in Bosnia and Herzegovina participated in the meeting, as did Judge Fausto Pocar and Judge Bakone Justice Moloto of the ICTY. The judges discussed practices in the areas of disclosure of certain types of evidence, the responsiblity of superiors for their subordinates' acts, and working with vulnerable witnesses.

"These peer-to-peer meetings are an excellent opportunity for judges to share practical experiences and to engage in dialogue on the core challenges of processing war crimes cases," said Ambassador Gary D. Robbins, the Head of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina. "These unique exchanges, as well as the other aspects of the project, such as placement of nine professional staff within justice sector institutions, should further bolster the processing of war crimes cases in Bosnia and Herzegovina."

Hilmo Vucinic, a judge at the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, added: "It is important that the experiences of the ICTY are safeguarded and that the acquired knowledge, collected evidence and proved facts are put to use in new proceedings in our courts. The War Crime Justice Project recognizes the need for a transfer of knowledge and experiences amongs us and our colleague judges working on war crimes cases."

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