Ugljevik, 24 April 2014
Asked by the ICTY guest lecturer Almir Alić if they had learned anything new about the Tribunal from his presentation today, one of the students of the 'Mihajlo Petrović Alas' high school in Ugljevik gave an honest response: “Everything, because I hardly knew anything."
The presentation - in the eastern Bosnian town of Ugljevik - was the last in the current round of high school lectures, and once more showed the importance of engaging in dialogue with young people on war crimes issues in the wider context of facing the past.
“The presenter explained to us the functioning of the Tribunal, but also other organisations dealing with war crimes trials,” said one of the students, who also said he found the Tribunal’s role positive, noting that “there is much more that should be done, because I believe there are many more out there who are responsible for war crimes.”
The students said they had very much enjoyed Almir's lecture, and a number of them said they believed reconciliation among communities in the former Yugoslavia could be achieved, despite all the hurdles. Asked how, one 18-year-old student said: “Precisely by organising such presentations that encourage young people to spread peace.”