STATUS AND PERSPECTIVES OF WAR CRIMES PROCESSING IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

Abstract

Serious, systematic and massive violations of international humanitarian law were committed during the 1992-1995 armed conflict in the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The criminal prosecution and prosecution of perpetrators of these violations of international humanitarian law falls within the jurisdiction of several courts of various levels, namely the ICTY, the courts in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the courts of other countries, in accordance with the principle of universal jurisdiction. However, the fact that is justifiably worrying is that, even after 24 years since the end of the war, the work on prosecuting those responsible for violations of international humanitarian law in Bosnia and Herzegovina is nowhere near completion. This is a consequence of non-compliance with the guidelines of the National War Crimes Processing Strategy, implementation of various laws at the state and entity levels, as well as limited regional cooperation and dialogue. The results of the research show that the concerns and perceptions expressed by citizens, as well as by some domestic and international institutions regarding the effectiveness of prosecutors' offices in prosecuting war crimes cases are very justified. Such data call for action by all relevant individuals and institutions to undertake activities in their own domain in order to advance this process and bring it to the level it deserves, given the importance for the overall BiH society.