International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia explained

Court Name:International Criminal Tribunal
for the former Yugoslavia
Established:25 May 1993
Dissolved:31 December 2017
Location:The Hague, Netherlands
Authority:United Nations Security Council Resolution 827
Terms:Four years
Positions:

The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) was a body of the United Nations that was established to prosecute the war crimes that had been committed during the Yugoslav Wars and to try their perpetrators. The tribunal was an ad hoc court located in The Hague, Netherlands.

It was established by Resolution 827 of the United Nations Security Council, which was passed on 25 May 1993. It had jurisdiction over four clusters of crimes committed on the territory of the former Yugoslavia since 1991: grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions, violations of the laws or customs of war, genocide, and crimes against humanity. The maximum sentence that it could impose was life imprisonment. Various countries signed agreements with the United Nations to carry out custodial sentences.

A total of 161 persons were indicted; the final indictments were issued in December 2004, the last of which were confirmed and unsealed in the spring of 2005.[1] The final fugitive, Goran Hadžić, was arrested on 20 July 2011.[2] The final judgment was issued on 29 November 2017[3] and the institution formally ceased to exist on 31 December 2017.[4]

Residual functions of the ICTY, including the oversight of sentences and consideration of any appeal proceedings initiated since 1 July 2013, are under the jurisdiction of a successor body, the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT).[5]

History

Creation

United Nations Security Council Resolution 808 of 22 February 1993 decided that an "international tribunal shall be established for the prosecution of persons responsible for serious violations of international humanitarian law committed in the territory of the former Yugoslavia since 1991", and called on the Secretary-General to "submit for consideration by the Council ... a report on all aspects of this matter, including specific proposals and where appropriate options ... taking into account suggestions put forward in this regard by Member States".[6]

The court was originally proposed by German Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel.[7]

Resolution 827 of 25 May 1993 approved the S/25704 report of the secretary-general and adopted the Statute of the International Tribunal annexed to it, formally creating the ICTY. It was to have jurisdiction over four clusters of crimes committed on the territory of the former SFR Yugoslavia since 1991:

  1. Grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions
  2. Violations of the laws or customs of war
  3. Genocide
  4. Crime against humanity.

The maximum sentence the ICTY could impose for these crimes was life imprisonment.

Implementation

In 1993 the internal infrastructure of the ICTY was built. 17 states had signed an agreement with the ICTY to carry out custodial sentences.[8]

1993–1994: In the first year of its existence, the tribunal laid the foundations for its existence as a judicial organ. It established the legal framework for its operations by adopting the rules of procedure and evidence, as well as its rules of detention and directive for the assignment of defence counsel. Together, these rules established a legal aid system for the tribunal. As the ICTY was a part of the United Nations and was the first international court for criminal justice, the development of a juridical infrastructure was considered quite a challenge. However, after the first year, the first ICTY judges had drafted and adopted all the rules for court proceedings.[9]

1994–1995: The ICTY established its offices within the Aegon Insurance Building in The Hague (which was, at the time, still partially in use by Aegon)[10] and detention facilities in Scheveningen in The Hague (the Netherlands). The ICTY hired many staff members and by July 1994, the Office of the Prosecutor had sufficient staff to begin field investigations. By November 1994, the first indictments were presented to the court and confirmed, and in 1995, the staff numbered over 200 persons from all over the world.

Operation

In 1994 the first indictment was issued against the Bosnian-Serb concentration camp commander Dragan Nikolić. This was followed on 13 February 1995 by two indictments comprising 21 individuals which were issued against a group of 21 Bosnian-Serbs charged with committing atrocities against Muslim and Croat civilian prisoners. While the war in the former Yugoslavia was still raging, the ICTY prosecutors showed that an international court was viable. However, no accused was arrested.[11]

The court confirmed eight indictments against 46 individuals and issued arrest warrants. Bosnian Serb indictee Duško Tadić became the subject of the tribunal's first trial. Tadić was arrested by German police in Munich in 1994 for his alleged actions in the Prijedor region in Bosnia-Herzegovina (especially his actions in the Omarska, Trnopolje and Keraterm detention camps). He made his first appearance before the ICTY Trial Chamber on 26 April 1995, and pleaded not guilty to all of the charges in the indictment.[12]

1995–1996: Between June 1995 and June 1996, 10 public indictments had been confirmed against a total of 33 individuals. Six of the newly indicted persons were transferred in the tribunal's detention unit. In addition to Duško Tadic, by June 1996 the tribunal had Tihomir Blaškić, Dražen Erdemović, Zejnil Delalić,[13] Zdravko Mucić,[14] Esad Landžo and Hazim Delić in custody. Erdemović became the first person to enter a guilty plea before the tribunal's court. Between 1995 and 1996, the ICTY dealt with miscellaneous cases involving several detainees, which never reached the trial stage.

Indictees and accomplishments

See main article: List of people indicted in the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. The tribunal indicted 161 individuals between 1997 and 2004 and completed proceedings with them as follows:[15] [16]

The indictees ranged from common soldiers to generals and police commanders all the way to prime ministers. Slobodan Milošević was the first sitting head of state indicted for war crimes.[17] Other "high level" indictees included Milan Babić, former president of the Republika Srpska Krajina; Ramush Haradinaj, former Prime Minister of Kosovo; Radovan Karadžić, former President of the Republika Srpska; Ratko Mladić, former Commander of the Bosnian Serb Army; and Ante Gotovina (acquitted), former General of the Croatian Army.

The very first hearing at the ICTY was a referral request in the Tadić case on 8 November 1994. Croat Serb General and former president of the Republic of Serbian Krajina Goran Hadžić was the last fugitive wanted by the tribunal to be arrested on 20 July 2011.

An additional 23 individuals have been the subject of contempt proceedings.[18]

In 2004, the ICTY published a list of five accomplishments "in justice and law":[19] [20]

  1. "Spearheading the shift from impunity to accountability", pointing out that, until very recently, it was the only court judging crimes committed as part of the Yugoslav conflict, since prosecutors in the former Yugoslavia were, as a rule, reluctant to prosecute such crimes;
  2. "Establishing the facts", highlighting the extensive evidence-gathering and lengthy findings of fact that tribunal judgments produced;
  3. "Bringing justice to thousands of victims and giving them a voice", pointing out the large number of witnesses that had been brought before the tribunal;
  4. "The accomplishments in international law", describing the fleshing out of several international criminal law concepts which had not been ruled on since the Nuremberg Trials;
  5. "Strengthening the Rule of Law", referring to the tribunal's role in promoting the use of international standards in war crimes prosecutions by former Yugoslav republics.

Closure

The United Nations Security Council passed resolutions 1503 in August 2003 and 1534 in March 2004, which both called for the completion of all cases at both the ICTY and its sister tribunal, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) by 2010.

In December 2010, the Security Council adopted Resolution 1966, which established the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT), a body intended to gradually assume residual functions from both the ICTY and the ICTR as they wound down their mandate. Resolution 1966 called upon the tribunal to finish its work by 31 December 2014 to prepare for its closure and the transfer of its responsibilities.

In a Completion Strategy Report issued in May 2011, the ICTY indicated that it aimed to complete all trials by the end of 2012 and complete all appeals by 2015, with the exception of Radovan Karadžić whose trial was expected to end in 2014 and Ratko Mladić and Goran Hadžić, who were still at large at that time and were not arrested until later that year.[21]

The IRMCT's ICTY branch began functioning on 1 July 2013. Per the Transitional Arrangements adopted by the UN Security Council, the ICTY was to conduct and complete all outstanding first-instance trials, including those of Karadžić, Mladić and Hadžić. The ICTY would also conduct and complete all appeal proceedings for which the notice of appeal against the judgement or sentence was filed before 1 July 2013. The IRMCT will handle any appeals for which notice is filed after that date.

The final ICTY trial to be completed in the first instance was that of Ratko Mladić, who was convicted on 22 November 2017.[22] The final case to be considered by the ICTY was an appeal proceeding encompassing six individuals, whose sentences were upheld on 29 November 2017.[23]

Organization

While operating, the tribunal employed around 900 staff.[24] Its organisational components were Chambers, Registry and the Office of the Prosecutor (OTP).

Prosecutors

The Prosecutor was responsible for investigating crimes, gathering evidence and prosecutions and was head of the Office of the Prosecutor (OTP).[25] The Prosecutor was appointed by the UN Security Council upon nomination by the UN secretary-general.[26]

The last prosecutor was Serge Brammertz. Previous Prosecutors have been Ramón Escovar Salom of Venezuela (1993–1994), however, he never took up that office, Richard Goldstone of South Africa (1994–1996), Louise Arbour of Canada (1996–1999), and Carla Del Ponte of Switzerland (1999–2007). Richard Goldstone, Louise Arbour and Carla Del Ponte also simultaneously served as the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda until 2003. Graham Blewitt of Australia served as the Deputy Prosecutor from 1994 until 2004. David Tolbert, the president of the International Center for Transitional Justice, was also appointed Deputy Prosecutor of the ICTY in 2004.[27]

Chambers

Chambers encompassed the judges and their aides. The tribunal operated three Trial Chambers and one Appeals Chamber. The president of the tribunal was also the presiding judge of the Appeals Chamber.

Judges

At the time of the court's dissolution, there were seven permanent judges and one ad hoc judge who served on the tribunal.[28] [29] A total of 86 judges have been appointed to the tribunal from 52 United Nations member states. Of those judges, 51 were permanent judges, 36 were ad litem judges, and one was an ad hoc judge. Note that one judge served as both a permanent and ad litem judge, and another served as both a permanent and ad hoc judge.

UN member and observer states could each submit up to two nominees of different nationalities to the UN secretary-general.[30] The UN secretary-general submitted this list to the UN Security Council which selected from 28 to 42 nominees and submitted these nominees to the UN General Assembly. The UN General Assembly then elected 14 judges from that list. Judges served for four years and were eligible for re-election. The UN secretary-general appointed replacements in case of vacancy for the remainder of the term of office concerned.

On 21 October 2015, Judge Carmel Agius of Malta was elected president of the ICTY and Liu Daqun of China was elected vice-president; they assumed their positions on 17 November 2015.[31] His predecessors were Antonio Cassese of Italy (1993–1997), Gabrielle Kirk McDonald of the United States (1997–1999), Claude Jorda of France (1999–2002), Theodor Meron of the United States (2002–2005), Fausto Pocar of Italy (2005–2008), Patrick Robinson of Jamaica (2008–2011), and Theodor Meron (2011–2015).[32]

NameStatePosition(s)Term beganTerm ended
Permanent
Permanent
Permanent / President
Permanent
Permanent / Vice-President
Permanent
Li HaopeiPermanent
Permanent / President
Permanent / Vice-President
Permanent
Permanent
Permanent
Permanent / President
Permanent
Permanent
Permanent / Vice-President
Permanent
Permanent / Vice-President
Permanent
Ad litem
Permanent
Wang TieyaPermanent
Permanent / President
Permanent
Permanent
Permanent
Liu DaqunPermanent / Vice-President
Permanent / President; vice-president
Ad litem
Permanent / President
Permanent / President
Permanent
Maureen Harding ClarkAd litem
Ad litem
Ad litem
Ad litem
Ad litem
Ad litem
Permanent
Permanent
Permanent / Vice-President
Permanent
Permanent
Ad litem
Ad litem
Ad litem
Ad litem
Permanent
Permanent
Ad litem
Ad litem
Permanent / Vice-President
Ad litem
Permanent
Permanent
Ad litem
Ad litem
Ad litem
Ad litem
Permanent
Permanent
Ad litem
Ad litem
Ad litem
Ad litem
Ad litem
Ad litem
Ad litem
Ad litem
Ad litem
Ad litem
Ad litem
Ad litem
Ad litem
Ad litem
Ad litem
Permanent
Ad litem
Permanent
Ad hoc
Permanent
Permanent
Ad litem
Permanent
Permanent
Permanent
Permanent
Permanent

Registry

The Registry was responsible for handling the administration of the tribunal; activities included keeping court records, translating court documents, transporting and accommodating those who appear to testify, operating the Public Information Section, and such general duties as payroll administration, personnel management and procurement. It was also responsible for the Detention Unit for indictees being held during their trial and the Legal Aid program for indictees who cannot pay for their own defence. It was headed by the Registrar, a position occupied over the years by Theo van Boven of the Netherlands (February 1994 to December 1994), Dorothée de Sampayo Garrido-Nijgh of the Netherlands (1995–2000), Hans Holthuis of the Netherlands (2001–2009), and John Hocking of Australia (May 2009 to December 2017).

Detention facilities

Those defendants on trial and those who were denied a provisional release were detained at the United Nations Detention Unit on the premises of the Penitentiary Institution Haaglanden, location Scheveningen in Belgisch Park, a suburb of The Hague, located some 3 km by road from the courthouse. The indicted were housed in private cells which had a toilet, shower, radio, satellite TV, personal computer (without internet access) and other luxuries. They were allowed to phone family and friends daily and could have conjugal visits. There was also a library, a gym and various rooms used for religious observances. The inmates were allowed to cook for themselves. All of the inmates mixed freely and were not segregated on the basis of nationality. As the cells were more akin to a university residence instead of a jail, some had derisively referred to the ICT as the "Hague Hilton".[33] The reason for this luxury relative to other prisons is that the first president of the court wanted to emphasise that the indictees were innocent until proven guilty.[34]

Controversies

Criticisms of the court include:

See also

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: History | International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. www.icty.org. 21 December 2022.
  2. http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2011/07/201172074249705610.html Serbia's last war crimes fugitive arrested
  3. Web site: The ICTY renders its final judgement in the Prlić et al. appeal case . International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. 29 November 2017. 29 November 2017.
  4. Web site: ICTY President Agius delivers final address to UN General Assembly . International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. 29 November 2017.
  5. Web site: UNSC Resolution 1966. 21 December 2022.
  6. Web site: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Report of the Secretary-General Pursuant to Paragraph 2 of Security Council Resolution 808 (1993) [Contains text of the Statute of the International Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia since 1991]]. Refworld. 2018-03-17. 1993-05-03.
  7. Hazan, Pierre. 2004. Justice in a Time of War: The True Story Behind the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. College Station: Texas A & M University Press
  8. Web site: Enforcement of Sentences. 31 July 2015.
  9. Web site: Rachel S. Taylor. Tribunal Law Made Simple: What is the ICTY, How Was It Established, and What Types of Cases Can it Hear?. Global Policy Forum. 2018-03-17.
  10. Vohrah. L.C.. Some Insights into the Early Years. Journal of International Criminal Justice. 2004. 2. 2. 388. 10.1093/jicj2.2.388.
  11. Pronk, E. The ICTY and the people from the former Yugoslavia – a reserved relationship.
  12. News: First Defendant Faces Tribunal on War Crimes / Bosnian Serb pleads not guilty. SFGate. 2018-02-26.
  13. Web site: Homepage. Haguejusticeportal.net.
  14. Web site: Zdravko Mucić.
  15. Web site: Infographic: ICTY Facts & Figures. February 2016. 27 March 2016. International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.
  16. Web site: Key Figures of ICTY Cases. ICTY official site. November 2017. 22 November 2017.
  17. Web site: ASIL.org . ASIL.org. 30 November 2011.
  18. Web site: ICTY website Contempt Cases. https://web.archive.org/web/20170731171532/http://www.icty.org/action/contemptcases/27 . 31 July 2017.
  19. Web site: 'The Tribunal's Accomplishments in Justice and Law'. 30 November 2011.
  20. Web site: ICTY at a glance. United Nations. 5 March 2007. 30 November 2011.
  21. Web site: ICTY Completion Strategy Report. 18 May 2011.
  22. News: Ratko Mladic found guilty. The Guardian.
  23. Web site: International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Cases – Prlić et al. (IT-04-74). 30 March 2017. 5 September 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150905054904/http://www.icty.org/cases/party/766/4. dead.
  24. Web site: Employment section of ICTY website. 29 April 2015.
  25. Statute of the International Tribunal, Annex of Report S/25704 of the UN Secretary-General, Article 16(1)
  26. Statute of the International Tribunal, Annex of Report S/25704 of the UN Secretary-General, Article 16(4)
  27. Web site: The former Prosecutors' section of ICTY website. 31 July 2015.
  28. Web site: The Judges . ICTY . 12 September 2016.
  29. Web site: Judge Burton Hall appointed to the ICTY . ICTY . 3 October 2016 . 4 October 2016.
  30. Web site: Article 13bis. 21 December 2022.
  31. Web site: Judge Agius and Judge Liu elected President and Vice-President of the ICTY . ICTY . 21 October 2015 . 21 October 2015.
  32. Web site: Former Judges . ICTY . 12 September 2016.
  33. News: Radovan Karadzic cell life. The Times. London, UK. Judith. Evans. 26 October 2009. 5 May 2010.
  34. News: Milosevic jail under scrutiny. BBC News. 13 March 2006. 5 May 2010. Chris. Stephen.
  35. News: I Keep Telling Myself that Justice Will Prevail . 25 June 2021 . Spiegel.
  36. Book: America's Deadliest Export: Democracy The Truth About US Foreign Policy and Everything Else . William Blum . Zed Books . 157–8.
  37. News: War crimes tribunal orders force-feeding of Serbian warlord. 7 December 2006. The Guardian. 16 September 2007. London, UK. Ian. Traynor.
  38. Web site: Kosor will insist on expansion of indictment against Mladić. Daily Portal. 3 June 2011. 4 June 2011.
  39. Web site: Croatia Crimes 'Won't Be Included' in Mladić Indictment. Balkaninsight. 2 June 2011. 4 June 2011.
  40. Web site: New Balkan war? Hague convicts Croatian hero, incites designs for 'Greater Serbia'. Jeffrey T. Kuhner. World Tribune. 20 April 2011. 29 April 2015. Jeffrey T. Kuhner.
  41. Mak, T.: Case Against an International War Crimes Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, (1995) International Peacekeeping, 2:4, 536–563.
  42. Web site: Genocide in Bosnia and the failure of international justice. April 2008. 23 March 2011. Marko Hoare. Kingston University. https://web.archive.org/web/20120312023824/http://eprints.kingston.ac.uk/5511/1/Hoare-M-5511.pdf. 12 March 2012. dead.
  43. News: General jailed for Dubrovnik role. BBC News. 31 January 2005. 16 June 2011.
  44. Web site: Florence Hartmann's 'Peace and Punishment'. Hoare. Marko. 10 January 2008. Wordpress.com. 9 April 2011.
  45. News: FLORENCE HARTMANN CASE: CONVICTION AND SENTENCE UPHELD ON APPEAL. 19 July 2011. Sense Agency. 21 July 2011. The Hague. 10 September 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110910222414/http://www.sense-agency.com/icty/florence-hartmann-case-conviction-and-sentence-upheld-on-appeal.29.html?cat_id=1&news_id=13029. dead.
  46. News: Die Leichensynode von Den Haag [The Cadaver Synod at the Hague]]. Klaus-Peter Willsch. de. Frankfurter Allgemeine. 2 June 2011. 4 June 2011.
  47. Web site: Ten years in prison for Miroslav Deronjić. 30 March 2004. Sense Agency. 8 May 2011. The Hague. Judge Schomburg however thinks that the punishment is not proportional to the crime and is not within mandate and spirit of this Tribunal. According to him, the crime to which Deronjić pleaded guilty "deserves a sentence of no less than twenty years of imprisonment". In a brief summary of his dissenting opinion that he read after pronouncing the sentence imposed by the majority, Judge Schomburg criticized the prosecution for having limited Deronjić's responsibility in the indictment to "one day and to the village of Glogova". Schomburg added that the "heinous and long-planned crimes committed by a high-ranking perpetrator do not allow for a sentence of only ten years", which, in light of his possible early release, could mean that the accused would spend only six years and eight months in prison. At the end of his dissenting opinion, Schomburg quoted a statement by one of Deronjić's victims. The victim said that his guilty plea "can heal the wounds" that the Bosniak community in eastern Bosnia still feels "provided that he is punished adequately". According to the victim, "a mild punishment would not serve any purpose.. 16 March 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120316215900/http://www.sense-agency.com/icty/ten-years-in-prison-for-miroslav-deronjic.29.html?cat_id=1&news_id=8520. dead.
  48. Web site: War crimes court cuts Serb's massacre sentence. Dejong. Peter. 8 December 2010. Vancouver Sun. 17 March 2011.
  49. Web site: Kevin Parker – The judge who freed the villains of Vukovar . Jelinić . Berislav . 2 October 2010 . . 17 March 2011 . 27 May 2012 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20120527142206/http://www.nacional.hr/en/clanak/38490/kevin-parker-the-judge-who-freed-the-villains-of-vukovar.
  50. For more detail, see an early summary of this argument by Mak, T.: Case Against an International War Crimes Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, (1995) International Peacekeeping, 2:4, 536–563.
  51. News: Daniel. Hannan. He went unsung to his grave. https://web.archive.org/web/20090722045427/http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/danielhannan/3679261/He_went_unsung_to_his_grave/. dead. 22 July 2009. The Daily Telegraph. 26 February 2007. 24 May 2009. London, UK.
  52. Web site: Remarks on the Occasion of the Closing of the Main Part of the Sixty-Seventh Session of the General Assembly. un. 9 April 2013. I will also convene several other high-level thematic debates in the months to come... our debates during the resumed part of the 67th Session.... Another will focus on the Role of International Criminal Justice in Reconciliation..
  53. News: Croatian President Shuns Jeremić's UN Debate. 9 April 2013. Balkan Investigative Reporting Network. 29 March 2013. Jeremić scheduled the debate on "the role of international criminal justice in reconciliation" after the ICTY acquitted two Croatian generals, Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markač, of war crimes during the conflict in Croatia in 1995..
  54. News: ICTY isn't coming to Vuk Jeremić's UN General Assembly debate. 9 April 2013. Croatia Business Report. 7 April 2013. Not only the ICTY but all three war crimes tribunals turned down Jeremić's invitation, Meron said at a panel on the role of the Hague tribunals in the protection of human rights held at the Brookings Institution in Washington on Thursday..
  55. News: Jeremić: Odbijeni pritisci, debate će biti. 9 April 2013. RTV Vojvodine. 7 April 2013. On je kao skandalozno ocenio to što se predsednik Haškog tribunala Teodor Meron nije odazvao pozivu da se pojavi u UN, pod čijim patronatom sud funkcioniše..
  56. News: Serb Defends U.N. Meeting Boycotted by the U.S.. The New York Times. 16 April 2013. 29 April 2015. Gladstone, Rick. New York. has "convicted nobody for inciting crimes committed against Serbs in Croatia.".
  57. O Hagu na Ist Riveru. Vreme. 15 April 2013. 29 April 2013.
  58. News: Čurkin: Negativan primer Haškog tribunala. 29 April 2013. Mondo. 10 April 2013. Tanjug. sr.
  59. News: War crimes suspect 'takes poison' in court. 29 November 2017. BBC News. 29 November 2017.
  60. Web site: War criminal Slobodan Praljak dies after taking poison in court. Sky News. 29 November 2017.
  61. News: Plenković: Pokušat ćemo osporiti navode iz presude. Plenković: We will try to challenge the allegations from the verdict. 29 November 2017. Večernji list. hr. 29 November 2017.
  62. Web site: Announcement of the Government of the Republic of Croatia on the judgment of the Hague Tribunal. 29 November 2017. Government of Croatia. 29 November 2017.
  63. McAllister . Jacqueline R. . Deterring Wartime Atrocities: Hard Lessons from the Yugoslav Tribunal . International Security . January 2020 . 44 . 3 . 84–128 . 10.1162/isec_a_00370 . 209892079 .