Yesterday, a group of 15 fellows of the Humanity in Action (HIA) Fellowship visited the ICTY Field Office in Sarajevo as part of a programme focusing on the current challenges to human rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina (“BiH”).
During the visit, the ICTY representative in BiH, Almir Alić, introduced the guests from the US, The Netherlands, Denmark, France, Germany and BiH to trials concerning war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide held before the Tribunal. He further talked about the Tribunal’s legacy and its contribution to strengthening judicial institutions in the region that deal with crimes committed during the wars in the 1990s. Mr Alić also spoke about the ICTY’s Outreach activities and the valuable role they play in assisting the region to come to terms with its past. The students were particularly keen to learn more about the relationship between the Tribunal and national judiciaries and the transfer of cases to national courts, as well as the impact of ICTY trials on victims and the possibility of reconciliation in the former Yugoslavia.
HIA summer fellowship programmes have been organised simultaneously in five European cities for 18 years, and this is the first time that such an initiative has taken place in Sarajevo.