| Press Release |
TRIBUNAL
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| (Exclusively for the use of the media. Not an official document) |
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The Hague, 22 November 2012
VE/CS/PR1534e
Outreach documentary on sexual violence premieres in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
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The Tribunal’s Outreach Programme has held the premiere of its feature-length documentary "Sexual Violence and the Triumph of Justice" in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM). The documentary depicts the Tribunal’s historic role in the prosecution of wartime sexual violence and forms part of Outreach’s efforts to raise awareness and understanding of the crimes committed during the conflicts on the former Yugoslavia, and the ICTY’s achievements in punishing those responsible.
The documentary was screened in Skopje on Tuesday, 20 November and Tetovo on Wednesday, 21 November. Both screenings were attended by over 100 guests among whom were journalists, NGO and international organisations representatives, diplomats as well as representatives of the central and local authorities. The premiere was organised in cooperation with Civil – Center for Freedom, the Tribunal’s partner organisation in FYROM
Elena Martin Salgado, Appeals Counsel from the ICTY’s Office of the Prosecutor, said: “The ICTY has made an important contribution towards improving responses to wartime sexual violence and support is now needed at the local level in the former Yugoslavia to secure redress for sexual violence survivors.”
This Outreach produced documentary explores the investigation and adjudication of the pioneering cases that played a major role in developing jurisprudence on wartime sexual violence, and portrays the courage of the survivors of sexual violence who testified in the Tribunal’s trials. With the participation of ICTY judges and senior staff, both past and present, as well as assorted witness testimonies, the film will be a lasting reminder of the pioneering steps that the Tribunal has taken to punish those responsible and to bring these grave crimes to attention of the international community and the people of the region of the former Yugoslavia.
Commenting on the value of the documentary, Uranija Pirovska, Executive Director of the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights Macedonia, said: “I think this movie is very important even for our country because it represents a warning for all possible future armed conflicts, that sexual violence will not be forgiven or go unpunished.”
The public screening was followed by an expert panel discussion between Elena Martin Salgado, Appeals Counsel from the ICTY’s Office of the Prosecutor; Gordana Duvnjak, Open Society Institute Macedonia Executive Board Chairperson; and Uranija Pirovska, Executive Director of the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights Macedonia. Kim Mehmeti, writer and political analyst took part in the panel discussion in Skopje while Snežana Lupevska, journalist and producer, was among the panelists in Tetovo.
Available in English, Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian and Macedonian the documentary has been screened in Sarajevo, Zagreb, Belgrade and Novi Sad. It has been widely distributed to victim organisations, local schools, and partner NGOs across the region for further dissemination. The documentary is planned to be screened by a TV Alfa in FYROM, and it will be soon made available on the Tribunal’s website.
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For further information please contact Nerma Jelačić, Head of Communications,
at +31 (0) 6 5357 8006 or jelacic [at] un.org
The Tribunal’s Outreach Programme
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International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
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