Bijeljina, 22 April 2014
As the ICTY nears the completion of its mandate one vital task has been identifying the most suitable NGO partners to take over responsibility for giving presentations on the work of the Tribunal in high schools across Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). The Bijeljina-based Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Republika Srpska (HCHR RS) was a logical choice for this initiative in BiH due to its wealth of experience in projects aiming to establish facts about war crimes, seek justice for victims, and foster trust and reconciliation among communities in BiH.
ICTY Outreach representative in BiH Almir Alić today held a workshop for future HCHR RS educators designed to complement their pre-existing knowledge of transitional justice mechanisms with specific information on war crimes trials held before the Tribunal. During a productive three-hour session the group, composed of law students from Bijeljina and local high school pupils, was introduced to the content and methodology of the presentations that have been given so successfully by ICTY representatives throughout the region over the past three years.
The participants were provided with a number of informational materials that will help them learn more about the work of the ICTY, but that will also serve as a basis for them to create their own presentations, which it is planned they will start implementing independently in educational institutions across BiH as of next school year.