Approximately 50 law students from two universities in Kosovo, Pristina University and AAB University, attended lectures today on milestones in the ICTY’s jurisprudence. Both lectures were delivered by Emiliya Viktorova, Legal Officer in the MICT Chambers. During the lectures, Ms Viktorova explained the legal elements of different crimes within the Tribunal's jurisdiction, as well as the different modes of liability. Her talk focused in particular on torture, sexual violence, persecution and genocide, and on superior responsibility as a mode of liability. Ms Viktorova gave specific examples from the case-law relating to war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by both sides during the Kosovo conflict. She also spoke about cases in which the accused were convicted of genocide in the context of the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The students were interested in knowing more about the legality of the establishment of the Tribunal, the Tribunal's jurisprudence concerning cases of sexual violence, its contribution to establishing the facts about the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia, and the number of individuals held accountable for crimes committed in Kosovo. Issues relating to the accessibility of the Tribunal's archives and jurisprudence, and the recent acquittal of Vojislav Šešelj were also raised during the discussion.
At the end of the lectures, representatives from both universities expressed their gratitude and their interest in continuing cooperation with the Tribunal.