Prizren, 18 October 2013
The Youth Initiative for Human Rights Kosovo (YIHR KS), in partnership with the ICTY’s Outreach Programme, today gave a presentation on the work and achievements of the Tribunal to around 40 final year students at the Gjon Buzuku Gymnasium in the town of Prizren.
The YIHR KS staff began by giving the students an overview of the history of the ICTY, including its establishment and mandate, and details on indictments, convictions and acquittals. They then moved on to talk about cases which specifically dealt with Kosovo, such as those of Slobodan Milošević, Vlastimir Đorđević, Haradinaj et al. and Limaj et al.
The students were also shown footage from the testimonies of three witnesses before the Tribunal, and were told all about the importance of the ICTY’s contributions to the development of international criminal law.
In the Q&A that followed, the students had queries for the presenters on a wide range of topics. There was a general discussion on the importance of independence and neutrality for the judiciary, and the young people were also keen to hear more about the protection afforded certain people who testify before the Tribunal and the related work of the ICTY’s Victims and Witnesses Section.
The evaluation forms completed by the students at the end of the event were full of positive comments, with many saying that they wished the presentation could have been longer, as they would have liked to discover even more about the work of the Tribunal.