OHR welcomes the transfer, announced today, of Radovan Stanković from the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) to the BiH Court’s War Crimes Chamber. This is the first case, under Rule 11bis, that the ICTY has referred to the jurisdiction of a domestic court in one of the countries of the Former Yugoslavia.
“This transfer confirms that that the BiH Court can provide the highest international standards of justice in these most difficult, and sensitive, criminal cases”, said the High Representative, Paddy Ashdown, today. “The OHR fully supports the BiH Court as a strong and independent BiH institution,” he added.
The OHR welcomes this transfer as a further step towards ensuring that those who committed war crimes in this country will be prosecuted justly in line with international standards and according to the Law here in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The ability to prosecute war criminals in BiH’s own Courts is a key element for reconciliation. Full cooperation with the ICTY is also a clear obligation under Dayton.