Today, a group of students from the West Point Military Academy (USA) visited the ICTY field office in Sarajevo in order to learn more about the work of this international institution. The visit was part of their study tour in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The U.S. cadets expressed great interest in war crimes issues. They examined the Tribunal’s experiences cooperating with international military units that were deployed in BiH following the completion of the conflict, including the military’s role in bringing to justice persons suspected of serious violations of international humanitarian law. Tribunal representative Almir Alić gave the U.S. cadets an overview of cases against 161 persons who were tried by the Tribunal, including the remaining cases that will mark the final years of this judicial institution.
Patrick McCallion, a 24 year-old cadet from West Point, expressed his satisfaction with the opportunity to learn "many previously unknown facts related to the work of the Tribunal, which will help in further research related to this issue". His 20 year-old colleague Joshua Crafton added: “We have learned new information which is very helpful for understanding the overall situation both during and after the armed conflicts in the region."