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Law and Justice

War on Trial: The Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia

May 25, 2021

Many victims of current conflicts hope that war criminals will be prosecuted. But is that realistic?

https://p.dw.com/p/3tw1B
Internationaler Strafgerichtshof Den Haag Empfangshalle
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/W.Kumm
Internationaler Strafgerichtshof für das ehemalige Jugoslawien in Den Haag
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Beekman

The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia - held in The Hague - was the biggest international trial of its kind to date. The opportunities and limitations of international justice lie at the heart of this documentary. What value does international justice have in modern society?

Haager Tribunal Urteil Kroaten aus Bosnien und Herzegowina
Image: Getty Images/M. Porro


Author Lucio Mollica looks for answers by examining the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Established with the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 827 on May 25, 1993, the tribunal dealt with serious crimes committed during the Yugoslav Wars, which began in 1991.

Serbien | ehemaliger General Ratko Mladic
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/EPA/Guyot


Of the 161 people indicted, 84 were convicted - including Ratko Mladić, the former head of the Bosnian Serb army infamously known as the "Butcher of Bosnia." Wartime Bosnian Serb president Radovan Karadžić was also sentenced to life imprisonment. The Tribunal issued its final judgement in November of 2017 and formally ceased to exist at the end of that same year.  

Judges, public prosecutors and defense attorneys give us a rare, behind-the-scenes glimpse at how such an ad hoc court works. Victims and eyewitnesses explain the effect of such trials and assess the Tribunal’s work. Even the perpetrators get to have their say. Yet the film’s real protagonist is the court itself.

Broadcasting Hours: 

Part 1: 

DW English

MON 21.06.2021 – 01:15 UTC
MON 21.06.2021 – 04:15 UTC
TUE 22.06.2021 – 09:15 UTC
SAT 26.06.2021 – 12:15 UTC
SUN 28.06.2021 – 15:15 UTC

Cape Town UTC +2 | Delhi UTC +5,5 | Hong Kong UTC +8
Lagos UTC +1 | Cape Town UTC +2 | Nairobi UTC +3 
San Francisco UTC -7 | Edmonton UTC -6 | New York UTC -4
London UTC +1 | Berlin UTC +2 | Moscow UTC +3

DW Deutsch+

TUE 22.06.2021 – 09:15 UTC

Vancouver UTC -7 | New York UTC -4 | Sao Paulo UTC -3 
 

Part 2: 

DW English

MON 28.06.2021 – 01:15 UTC
MON 28.06.2021 – 04:15 UTC
TUE 29.06.2021 – 09:15 UTC
SAT 03.07.2021 – 12:15 UTC
SUN 04.07.2021 – 15:15 UTC

Cape Town UTC +2 | Delhi UTC +5,5 | Hong Kong UTC +8
Lagos UTC +1 | Cape Town UTC +2 | Nairobi UTC +3 
San Francisco UTC -7 | Edmonton UTC -6 | New York UTC -4
London UTC +1 | Berlin UTC +2 | Moscow UTC +3

DW Deutsch+

TUE 29.06.2021 – 09:15 UTC

Vancouver UTC -7 | New York UTC -4 | Sao Paulo UTC -3