Bjelovar, 10 April 2012
At Bjelovar high school in northern Croatia, around 40 students gathered together today to listen to a presentation on the key achievements of the ICTY. Following the presentation, the students engaged in a thoughtful and academic discussion that addressed complex issues in a positive atmosphere.
The case that the students were most interested to discuss was naturally that of former Croatian generals Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markač , who were last year found guilty by a Trial Chamber for crimes committed against the Serbs during the ‘Operation Storm’ military offensive in 1995. After outlining the key findings in the first instance judgement, the Outreach officer stressed that both Gotovina and Markač have appealed against the judgement, and urged the students to watch the Appeals Chamber hearings on 14 May. The school principal, Mr Želimir Vujić, concluded the event by saying: “We should all be open to hearing not just two, but perhaps numerous sides of the same story, thus I welcome the ICTY’s contribution today.”