Bridging the Gap - Foča, Bosnia and Herzegovina

The conference in Foča enabled the Tribunal to provide key audiences – victims’ associations, municipal authorities, judicial officials and law enforcement agencies, as well as local politicians and civil society representatives – with a detailed and comprehensive picture of the Tribunal’s activities in relation to allegations of serious violations of international humanitarian law occurring in the area during the 1992-1995 armed conflict.

Making extensive use of the enormous volume of evidence presented in the cases, representatives from the Tribunal were able to give an insight into the meticulous and painstaking investigations conducted by the Tribunal and to explain how allegations of torture, rape, enslavement, and outrages upon personal dignity were proven before the court.

In the “Foča” case, the three defendants – Dragoljub Kunarac, Radomir Kovač and Zoran Vuković – were found guilty of crimes against humanity and violations of the laws or customs of war and sentenced to 28, 20 and 12 years' imprisonment, respectively. Milorad Krnojelac was found guilty of crimes against humanity, torture, murder and violations of the laws or customs of war and sentenced to 15 years' imprisonment.

Reactions of the audience highlighted the need to persist with efforts to bring to justice perpetrators of all crimes, regardless of the nationality of the victims or the perpetrators. ICTY representatives reiterated the Tribunal’s preparedness to continue to do all it can to assist domestic authorities in bringing further prosecutions.

The full report contains a summary of proceedings using the transcripts from the day, including opening remarks, presentations from Tribunal staff, photographs used as evidence in the cases and questions from the audience.