Manual on Developed Practices Launched

The Manual, the result of a joint effort of the Tribunal and UNICRI (United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute), is the first publication that provides a comprehensive description of the operating practices that have developed at the ICTY since its establishment.

Topics covered, by those who worked on them first-hand, include investigations, judgment drafting, management of the Detention Unit and legal aid policies, as well as a range of other judicial support issues. 

Judge Patrick Robinson, President of the ICTY, speaking at the launch of the Manual at the Tribunal’s headquarters in The Hague, said that the publication would be of use not only to other international and hybrid courts, but also to domestic jurisdictions where international crimes are being adjudicated.

“We at the ICTY are proud of the pioneering role of our institution in the development of international criminal justice. I am delighted to stand here today and to hold in my hands a book which documents a piece of that history, in the sincere hope that it will be of assistance to those who are and will be working in other institutions faced with the kind of challenges that this court has had since its creation,” President Robinson said.

The audience of diplomats, academics, NGOs and representatives of judicial institutions was also addressed by Sandro Calvani, the Director of UNICRI, who spoke about plans to disseminate the Manual to practitioners, policy makers and others in different regions throughout the world.
   
The Developed Practices Project was initiated a year ago by former ICTY President, Judge Fausto Pocar, who also spoke at the launch reception.

The Manual is seen as an important tool for ensuring that the Tribunal’s legacy lives on through the future prosecution of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide by domestic judiciaries, particularly those in the region of the former Yugoslavia. 

Further promotions of the publication are planned for 9 June at UN Headquarters in New York and 15-16 June in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The ICTY Manual on Developed Practices is available for download from the Tribunal’s website at the following link:
http://www.icty.org/x/file/About/Reports%20and%20Publications/manual_developed_practices/icty_manual_on_developed_practices.pdf