The Legacy of The ICTY : An Evaluation of its Successes, Failures, and Controversies

Abstract

Genocidio, limpieza étnica, violación y tortura. Estas son solo algunas de las atrocidades que se cometieron durante el conflicto que condujo a la disolución del país que antes conocíamos como Yugoslavia. Como respuesta a las atrocidades cometidas en Croacia, Bosnia-Herzegovina y Kosovo, la comunidad internacional acordó la creación de un tribunal de justicia, conocido como Tribunal Penal Internacional para la ex Yugoslavia (TPIY) para juzgar y castigar específicamente los crímenes internacionales que tuvo lugar en los países mencionados. Durante su mandato de 24 años, después de su creación en 1993, ha habido muchos elogios, críticas y controversias con respecto al propósito del tribunal y el éxito general. Con esto en mente, el objetivo es evaluar el alcance del éxito del TPIY, arrojar luz sobre sus fallas y explorar sus controversias con un enfoque especial en tres áreas principales: su competencia y prácticas internas como Tribunal Penal Internacional, su capacidad para representar y desarrollar el derecho penal internacional y cómo ha contribuido al enjuiciamiento de futuros crímenes de guerra y crímenes contra la humanidad y, finalmente, su capacidad para lograr la justicia y la reconciliación en la región de los Balcanes.

Genocide, ethnic cleansing, rape, and torture. These are only some of the atrocities that were committed during the conflict that led to the dissolution of the country we formerly knew as Yugoslavia. As a response to atrocities committed in Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo, the international community agreed on the creation of a court of law, known as the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) to specifically trial and punish the international crimes that took place in the mentioned countries. During its 24-year mandate, after its creation in 1993, there has been a lot of praise, criticism and controversy regarding the tribunal’s purpose and overall success. With this in mind, the objective is to evaluate the extent of the ICTY’s success, shine a light on its failures and explore its controversies with special focus on three main areas: its internal competence and practices as an International Criminal Tribunal, its capacity to positively represent and develop international criminal law and how it has contributed to the prosecution of future war crimes and crimes against humanity, and finally its ability to bring justice and reconciliation in the Balkan region.