4 June 2013, Belgrade
A group of seven Dutch journalism students and their professors today paid a visit to the ICTY’s Belgrade Field Office.
The budding reporters were interested to hear about the work of the office and how the Serbian government’s decision to downscale its cooperation with the Tribunal after the appeals judgement in the case of Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markač had affected its Outreach activities.
The students wanted to know what role the ICTY can play in the process of regional reconciliation. Outreach Liaison Officer Morgiana Brading underlined that the Tribunal’s mandate was to decide on the guilt or innocence of individuals, but that many aspects of ICTY’s work can be utilised by communities in the region during the processes of reconciliation. One of the most important aspects was the record created during trials, including documentary evidence, witness testimonies and factual findings made in specific cases.
The students also raised the issue of the length of ICTY trials compared to cases in national systems. Morgiana explained how the scope and complexity of ICTY trails exceeds by far almost any criminal case to have ever come before a national court.
At the end of their visit, the students thanked the Field Office staff and expressed their admiration for the work they do.