Guardian: Hague tribunal closes down '%s' did not lead to reconciliation of former Yugoslav countries

“After 10,800 days, listening to 4,650 witnesses and 2.5 million pages of transcript, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) will officially close on Thursday,” reports “Guardian”

According to UN Secretary General Antonio Gutres, the final ceremony in The Hague will be attended by the “end of the 24 years of investigations that led to 161 indictment”.

In addition, British media said the Tribunal of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic and General Ratko Mladic were placed in the dock of indictees.

“There was also a criticism that The Hague Tribunal represented the winner's “justice -- about two-thirds of the indictees were Serbs, but those who support the tribunal stress that the biggest crimes in the conflict were committed by Serb forces against Muslim civilians”, writes “Gardian”.

They also claim that the outcome of this court's work represents a change in international justice ʹ from courts that brought justice to the Balkans, Rwanda and Sierra Leone to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

London's International Law Professor Philip Sends says that the ICTY's “heritage is crucial” and that “paves the way for a broader international consensus on war crimes”.

“Yugoslavia's explosion was a catalyst with very significant consequences, the past was mixed, the court did not bring reconciliation and tranquillity to the region, but brought... important judgments for individuals”, says Sends.

“Gardian” here stresses that Sends represented Croatia against Serbia in procedures before the International Court of Justice, reports “b92”, Periscopi broadcast.

The ICTY's overall conclusion marks important but limited functions, which international justice may have in resolving sustainable political changes. The ad hoc courts had easier work than their ICC counterparts, says Sends.

Among The Hague Tribunal's successes is the gathering of expertise and testimony, creating an archive of evidence that will be used by historians in the future, writes “Guardian”.

Jeffrey Nice, who worked at The Hague Tribunal 1998-2006 and who led the Prosecution in the case against Slobodan Milosevic, also spoke of “Guardian”.

Nice, as he claims, recognizes the ICTY's successes, “but with reservations”.

According to him, the Western countries and the “department that lost it -- Serbia” -- acted before The Hague Tribunal for “ -- into rule of law” in certain situations.

This happened often by “clearing” the real historical data in favour of Serbia and the West. We court lawyers, as far as I know, have all done to keep the cases clean and to resist other people's interference whenever we notice it. The trials lasted long and the victims had waited for decades to find out what had happened,” says Nice.

At the end of the text, “Guardian” says Slobodan Praljak was killed in the courtroom and also mentions chief prosecutor Serge Brammertz's statement that The Hague “did not lead to the reconciliation of former Yugoslav countries”. /Periscopi/