Obilić/Obiliq, 3 November 2014
The third cycle of presentations in Kosovo high schools highlighting the Tribunal’s work and achievements started today in the town of Obilić/Obiliq. As in the previous years, the ICTY Outreach Programme, with support of the Kosovo Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, will organize presentations about the ICTY in 10 high schools throughout Kosovo, with the focus on towns and regions which have been most affected by crimes committed during the conflict.
Today’s presentation, delivered by the ICTY representative Driton Gashi, was attended by 32 students of the Gymnasium “17 Shkurti” in Obilić/Obiliq. Driton started the presentation by providing the students with a short overview of the history of the ICTY, including how and why it was established, what its mandate is, and how many people have been indicted and convicted by the Tribunal. The focus then turned to cases related to Kosovo, such as those of Slobodan Milošević, Vlastimir Đorđević, Haradinaj et al. and Limaj et al. The students were also shown footage from three testimonies given by witnesses who have appeared before the Tribunal. The final part of the presentation looked at the contributions the ICTY has made to international criminal law and transitional justice in the region.
The students had a number of questions for the ICTY representative, with many focusing on witness protection, retrials and the rules and procedures after the indictees are sentenced or acquitted.
As the event concluded, the students were full of positive comments about the presentation, marking it as excellent. The ICTY Outreach presentations in Kosovo high schools will continue throughout this week.