The Hague, 5 November 2014
A group of around 30 students of the Affton High School from St. Louis, USA, had an unusual class today, as they attended a video link presentation about the ICTY's work and achievements, delivered by Head of the ICTY Outreach Programme, Nenad Golčevski. St. Louis is the city with the largest population of Bosnians outside Bosnia and 17 per cent of Affton High School students are members of Bosnian diaspora. The presentation was given as a part of a course in history of Bosnia and Herzegovina, war and genocide during the 1990's and the aftermath of the conflicts.
Nenad started the presentation by providing students with a short overview of the history of the ICTY, including how and why it was established, what its mandate is, and how many people have been indicted and convicted by the Tribunal. The role of witnesses in the Tribunal’s work and its achievements in the domain of individualisation of guilt were also discussed. Furthermore, the students learned about the contribution that the Tribunal made to international justice, including its seminal work in adjudication of crimes of sexual violence during the conflicts.
Another topic that was brought up through the students’ questions was whether the Tribunal has contributed to bringing closure and peace to the victims of war crimes and how, as well as what has been its impact in the process of reconciliation in the region. Furthermore, some students of Bosnian origin asked whether Željko Ražnatović - Arkan, who was the leader of the paramilitary group known as “Serbian Volunteer Guard” during the wars, was indicted and prosecuted by the ICTY. They were disappointed to learn that even though he was indicted by the ICTY, proceedings against him were terminated because he died before his arrest.
The co-operation between Affton High School and the ICTY Outreach Programme will continue and the next presentation is planned for the spring of 2015.