The initial training titled “War Crimes Prosecution” for judges and prosecutors from Prijedor is underway at the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the framework of the “War Crimes Trial Monitoring” project implemented by the OSCE Mission to BiH.

Legal advisor for the President of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Head of the Public Information and Outreach Section, Irhad Bilić, welcomed the judges and prosecutors and wished them successful training over the two days within which they will have the opportunity to hear presentations on various topics, such as the specificities of pre-trial and trial proceedings in war crimes cases, with a particular accent on protected witnesses and efficient trial management, elements of criminal offenses with a particular accent on the application of the Law on Transfer of Cases, direct application of customary international law and sentencing, witness support measures in prosecuting war crimes cases, and understanding the trauma in the context of giving evidence. Legal Advisors from the Section I for War Crimes, Elma Čorbadžić and Jovana Vidić, and the Head of the Witness Support Section, Alma Taso – Deljković, will talk to the Judges.

In the framework of the training, the participants will have the opportunity to observe a court hearing before Section I for War Crimes at the Court of BiH, as well as the opportunity to exchange experiences and have a discussion with the Head of the Criminal Division, Judge Minka Kreho, concerning the current challenges and obstacles to a more efficient prosecution of war crimes cases in BiH.

The Court BiH fully supports the OSCE’s War Crimes Trial Monitoring project and takes the opportunity to offer full technical support to the training held on the premises of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina.