War Crimes Justice Project launches manual on international criminal defence, promotes exchange of experience

SARAJEVO, 10 October 2011 – Defence attorneys practicing before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and defence lawyers from the region met in Sarajevo today to exchange experiences and promote a new manual on international criminal defence. The manual was developed by the UN Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI), together with the Association of Defence Counsel practicing before the ICTY for defence attorneys working on war crimes cases in the region.

The meeting and the manual are part of the EU-funded regional War Crimes Justice Project, carried out by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in partnership with the ICTY, the UN Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) and OSCE field operations to enhance the capacity of legal professionals in the region in processing complex war crimes cases.

Chris Engels, WCJP Regional Coordinator, said: “By preserving the rich experiences and lessons learned by defence lawyers practicing at the ICTY over the years, the manual ensures the wealth of knowledge will be available to others addressing similar issues in the future.”

The manual provides an overview of some of the most effective and innovative practices developed by defence counsel representing war crimes suspects before the ICTY. The publication is intended to be a reference tool for counsel defending cases of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide before national courts in the former Yugoslavia.

The manual deals with issues common to the various jurisdictions in the region, such as the use of ICTY-generated evidence, how to conduct effective plea bargaining, and how to deal with various kinds of witnesses.

Some 25 defence attorneys from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and Montenegro attended the meeting. Participants discussed several topics including the use of ICTY jurisprudence before domestic courts, the presumption of innocence, and defence investigations in war crimes cases.

The War Crimes Justice Project is a four-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 contact: Sanela Tunovic, War Crimes Justice Project Outreach Officer at: +387 61 539 535 or e-mail: at wcjp@odihr.pl.