The sixth in the series of ICTY Outreach documentaries, “Dubrovnik and Crimes against Cultural Heritage”, premiered today at the Faculty of Law at the University of Zagreb, Croatia. More than 60 students, teaching staff and members of the general public showed great interest in the film, which portrays the development of the Tribunal’s jurisprudence concerning crimes against cultural and religious property.
Following the screening, Maja Munivrana-Vajda, Assistant Professor of criminal law at the Faculty, said: “I will definitely use this film in my lectures, especially as part of the course in international criminal law. The film was really good, and it portrays the development of this field of international criminal law in a very accessible way”.
Through interviews with protagonists as well as courtroom and archival footage, the film narrates the development of international criminal law as it relates to the destruction of cultural and religious heritage. It provides an overview of the relevant Tribunal jurisprudence and its convictions of senior political and military leaders who were found to be responsible for this category of crimes. The film then focuses on the Tribunal's prosecution of crimes committed during the 1991 siege of the Croatian town of Dubrovnik, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
During the reception which followed the screening, one of the students said: “Usually, when we are invited for a presentation as part of our curriculum, we never know what to expect, but, this time, it was really very good, and I thank you for that. This experience has given me the incentive to watch the other documentaries produced by the Outreach.”