Tribunal President Promotes Regional Partnership at OSCE Seminar

The Tribunal's President Judge Fausto Pocar returned today from a two-day visit to Warsaw, Poland, where he was a keynote speaker at an international seminar organized by the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

In his remarks at the event, entitled Upholding the Rule of Law and Due Process in Criminal Justice Systems, Judge Pocar enumerated the varied and ambitious strategies the Tribunal has adopted in order to forge a close working partnership with national judiciaries in the former Yugoslavia so as to strengthen their capacity to fairly handle war crimes cases and fight
impunity.

During his presentation and in separate meetings on the fringes of the event, Judge Pocar expressed his appreciation to the OSCE for their work in cementing the rule of law in states of the former Yugoslavia, including the monitoring of trials that are of immediate relevance and importance to the Tribunal. In acknowledging the OSCE's key role in assisting with judicial reform
efforts across the former Yugoslavia, Judge Pocar emphasized the need for further cooperation and discussed ways to strengthen the relationship between the OSCE and the Tribunal.

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Courtroom proceedings can be followed on the Tribunal's website at www.un.org/icty.