International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY)
The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia was established in May 1993 by the United Nations in response to mass atrocities then taking place in the Balkans. Reports depicting horrendous crimes caused outrage across the world and spurred the UN Security Council to act. The key objective of the ICTY is to try those individuals most responsible for acts such as murder, torture, rape, enslavement, destruction of property and other crimes.
Since its establishment in 1993 it has irreversibly changed the landscape of international humanitarian law. In its precedent-setting decisions on genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, the Tribunal has shown that an individual’s senior position can no longer protect them from prosecution.
Official sources:
- International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY)
- Updated Statute of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (pdf, 79 p.)
- UN Security Council Resolution 827 (1993) (pdf, 3 p.)
- ICTY Rules on Procedure and Evidence (pdf, 124 p.)
Information sources:
- The ICRC in the Western Balkans
- Global Policy Forum
- International Centre for Transitional Justice
- Association of Defence Counsel Practising before the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia
- Amnesty International - Completing the work of the International Criminal Tribunals for the Former Yugoslavia and Rwanda (pdf, 13 p.)
- TRIAL - Swiss based NGO against impunity
Update: 19.08.2011
