OSCE-supported conference in Sarajevo takes stock of war crimes processing in South-Eastern Europe

SARAJEVO, 20 May 2014 – Sixty-five judges, prosecutors and defence attorneys dealing with war crimes processing in South-Eastern Europe and wider Europe gathered at a two-day regional conference The role of national jurisdictions in implementation of international humanitarian law – law and practice which ended in Sarajevo today.

The conference was organized by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the Swiss Embassy to Bosnia and Herzegovina, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the OSCE Mission to BiH and the Court of BiH. Participants discussed the main challenges and good practices in prosecuting war crimes at national level, the correlation between domestic and international law, as well as the interstate co-operation in war crimes processing and co-operation with international courts.

Fletcher M. Burton, the Head of the OSCE Mission to BiH, stressed the important role of domestic judiciary in the process: “Closing the impunity gap is a task that falls chiefly to national jurisdictions in this region and requires that international humanitarian law and international criminal law be implemented domestically. National judges and prosecutors have the daunting task of ensuring that those responsible for crimes committed during conflict are held accountable by fair and effective trials.”

Thomas Vennen, the Head of the Democratisation Department at ODIHR, said: "Regional mutual legal assistance in the prosecution and adjudication of war crimes has increasingly stepped up in the recent years. War crimes trials contribute to revealing the truth and bringing lasting peace to the region.”

Meddzida Kreso, the President of the Court of BiH, said:  “Given its experience over the past ten years, the Court of BiH is ready to assist other courts, particularly where judges and prosecutors are new to war crimes processing issues to ensure successful and consistent implementation of the international humanitarian law standards in the region.“

The Conference was organised amid marking the 150th anniversary of the first Geneva convention (1864) that serves a basis for rules of international law which protect victims of armed conflicts.

André Schaller, the Swiss Ambassador to BiH, said: “We have a full set of rules, but often they lack implementation. Nearly every day, we can see in the news how atrocities are commited in armed conflicts. This is why the event aiming at better implementation of international humanitarian law is especially relevant today. Switzerland with its strong humanitarian tradition is part of this effort.“

Boris Kelecevic, the Head of the ICRC Delegation to BiH, said: „We support judicial authorities’ efforts related to the implementation of the international humanitarian law, including through raising awareness among judges, prosecutors and defence lawyers, to better address missing people issues and protect detained persons.“

The conference participants will releasea report presenting main conclusions on how domestic jurisdictions can improve their judicial systems to more effectively repress violations of international humanitarian law.