The Hague, 26 June 2014
The third in a series of documentaries produced by the ICTY’s Outreach Programme, Through Their Eyes – Witnesses to Justice, premiered today in The Hague. The screening took place in the ICTY building and over 70 diplomats, representatives of international organisations, journalists and ICTY judges and senior staff were in attendance.
Speaking before the screening, ICTY President Judge Theodor Meron stressed how critically important witness evidence has been to the work of the ICTY over the past twenty years. “Witness evidence brings events to life as few documents can, and how the evidence of a specific witness or victim is understood and weighed is often a key part of reaching a ruling on an issue in a case” President Meron said.
Following the screening, Petar Finci co-producer of the documentary, Nerma Jelačić, Head of the Tribunal’s Communications Section and Helena Vranov-Schrool, Head of Victims and Witnesses Support and Operations at the ICTY spoke about the creation of the film, importance of this project in regards to Outreach and legacy of the ICTY, as well as support mechanisms provided to victims and witnesses.
One of the guests who attended the event, Claudia Perdomo, Head of Outreach at the International Criminal Court, underscored the importance of producing documentaries by saying that “Without the investment in communication, international tribunals and other courts will have no impact whatsoever”. She further added: "You have to ask yourself, are we here just to render justice, or to render justice in order to make an impact in the world, and to let the people know that these crimes should never happen again?"
The event concluded with a reception that provided guests with the opportunity to share their impressions of the film, and of the way in which it underlines the human, rather than the ethnic, component of the conflict in the former Yugoslavia.
You can see the highlights from the premiere here: