Credibility of ICTY must be restored

The Norwegian Helsinki Committee is deeply concerned about the situation at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (‘ICTY’), created by acquittals in 2012-2013 and a deep split among its judges.

The concerns have been conveyed in a letter to President of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (‘MICT’), former ICTY President, current ICTY judge and a key player of the institution. According to the letter, the acquittals represent changes in the direction at a very late stage of the ICTY’s life. They “disorient victims, their families, and the wider struggle against impunity … there remains a strong, unanswered case for [Theodor Meron] to take responsibility for the unfortunate situation at ICTY”.

Relevant FICHL Policy Briefs:

FICHL Policy Brief Series No. 49 (2016): Gunnar M. Ekeløve-Slydal, ICTY Shifts Have Made Its Credibility Quake 

FICHL Policy Brief Series No. 48 (2016): Julija Bogoeva, International Judges and Government Interests: The Case of President Meron

FICHL Policy Brief Series No. 47 (2016): Frederik Harhoff, Mystery Lane: A Note on Independence and Impartiality in International Criminal Trials 

Read the letter here.