NCJ Number
150825
Journal
Washington Post Magazine Dated: (September 25, 1994) Pages: 8-15,22-28
Date Published
1994
Length
15 pages
Annotation
Citing the legacy of the Nuremberg trials of Nazis, a United Nations (UN) tribunal has been established to prosecute those responsible for atrocities in Bosnia as war criminals.
Abstract
The tribunal is referred to as the International Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of Former Yugoslavia. Despite UN intentions with the tribunal, the author contends that the UN mission in Bosnia has taken virtually the opposite approach. Bosnian Muslims, in particular, feel that the UN's failure to be an active force for justice is a serious moral issue. Atrocities in Bosnia have been clearly documented by government intelligence organizations and in the media, but political factors have impeded a more active role by world leaders. Some countries, for example, Great Britain and France, believe that a war crimes tribunal may impede a negotiated settlement of the war. Further, some UN war crimes investigators have found no hard evidence of a coherent chain of command between Serbian detention camps and Serb headquarters but believe Serbs are responsible for the most atrocities. Legal and political dimensions of war crimes are examined. The author takes the position that a war crimes tribunal represents an affirmation of conscience even though it may appear to be a totally inadequate way of addressing the genocide in Bosnia.