On 9 December 2016, ICTY Outreach representative Mr Almir Alić, travelled to Zagreb, Croatia, to give a presentation on the Tribunal's work to a group of 14 youth activists. The presentation is part of a “Human Rights Monitoring and Advocacy Social Mechanisms Advancement” project implemented by Outreach’s long-standing partner, Youth Initiative for Human Rights (YIHR).
Mr Alić provided youth activists with a brief overview of the history of the ICTY, including how and why it was established, its mandate and general statistics on persons indicted and convicted by the Tribunal. Particular attention was paid to the ICTY’s practice in adjudicating genocide and wartime sexual violence cases.
Mr Alić explained that the ICTY was the first international criminal tribunal to enter convictions of genocide for crimes committed in Europe. He added that, in the case of Radislav Krstić in April 2014, the Appeals Chamber determined that the execution of more than 7,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica in 1995, following the take-over of the town by Bosnian Serb forces, constituted genocide.
Talking about the prosecution of wartime sexual violence, Mr Alić stressed that the Tribunal has played a historic role in paving the way for a more robust adjudication of such crimes worldwide. He added that more than a third of those convicted by the ICTY have been found guilty of crimes involving sexual violence.
YIHR Croatia is a non-governmental organisation dedicated to the protection and promotion of human rights, empowering young people to create initiatives that help building democratic communities and an open society with full respect for human rights.