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img src=http://www.amnesty.org/sites/impact.amnesty.org/files/imagecache/previewsize/sites/impact.amnesty.org/files/PUBLIC/Regions/ECA/bosnia-karadzic-100.jpg alt= title= /br/The beginning of the Hague trial of former Bosnian Seb leader Radovan Karadžic on Monday, is an important step towards justice for the tens of thousands of victims of the Bosnian war, Amnesty International said.br /
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Karadžic, the former President of the Bosnian Serb Republic, was arrested in July 2008, more than 12 years after he was charged genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes for his role in the conflict during the 1990s. br /
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quot;This trial underscores the vital principle that where there is sufficient evidence, those accused of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity must be prosecuted in fair trials, whether it is by international or national courts.quot; said Nicola Duckworth, Europe and Central Asia Programme Director at Amnesty International.br /
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Karadžic’s trial at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague, was adjourned on Monday after he failed to appear at the initial hearing.br /
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quot;The ICTY should be given enough time and resources to complete its important work, including the prosecutions of Ratko Mladic and Goran Hadžic who remain at largequot; Nicola Duckworth added.br /
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quot;The completion of the ICTY’s mandate is vital for victims of these crimes.quot; br /
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Ratko Mladic and Goran Hadžic are both accused as in their command capacity they allowed for war crimes, genocide and other charges relating to the conflict in the former Yugoslavia.nbsp; br /
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The trial proceeds following an important ruling by the Trial Chamber that individuals accused of such crimes cannot rely on immunities, even if, as Radovan Karadžic asserts, he had been promised immunity from prosecution during the peace negotiations.br /
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Radovan Karadžic is charged with:br /
ul
litwo counts of genocide ndash; in relation to the persecution of Bosnian Mulims and Bosnian Croats in Bosnia Herzegovina during 1992 and genocide committed against Bosnian Muslims in Srebrenica in July 1995;/li
lifive counts of crimes against humanity including persecution, extermination, murder, deportation;/li
lifour counts of violations of the laws or customs of war, including taking of hostages and spreading terror among a civilian population./li
/ul
Amnesty International has repeatedly called for the work of the ICTY to be complemented by national efforts to investigate and prosecute the tens thousands of other crimes involving middle and lower ranking suspects that the ICTY does not have the capacity to deal with.br /
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The organization said that while the trial of Radovan Karadžic is likely to be completed before the Tribunal closes, trials at the ICTY are not enough for the victims of the Balkans conflict. br /
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quot;The international community has a duty to make sure their rights to justice, truth and reparations are realized, said Nicola Duckworth. quot;If not, the dispensation of justice across the former Yugoslavia may remain an unfinished task and it is the thousands of victims of the crimes who will pay the price.quot;

img src=http://www.amnesty.org/sites/impact.amnesty.org/files/imagecache/previewsize/sites/impact.amnesty.org/files/PUBLIC/Regions/ECA/bosnia-women-rape-100×100.jpg alt= title= /br/div align=right
emquot;This nation forgets everything. They forget about us victims. But I will never forget about what happened to me.quot;/em – Sabiha, interviewed by Amnesty Internationalbr /
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emquot;I do not know if it is possible to punish this crime. If justice exists at all?… Maybe somewhere but not here in Bosnia!quot;/em -nbsp; Bakira interviewed by Amnesty Internationalbr /
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Successive governments of Bosnia and Herzegovina have failed to provide justice for thousands of women and girls who were raped during the 1992-1995 war, Amnesty International said in a report published on Wednesday.br /
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quot;During the war, thousands of women and girls were raped, often with extreme brutality; many were held in prison camps, hotels, private houses where they were sexually exploited. Many women and girls were killed,quot; said Nicola Duckworth, director of Amnesty International’s Europe and Central Asia Programme.br /
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quot;To this day, survivors of these crimes have been denied access to justice. Those responsible for their suffering, members of military forces, the police, paramilitary groups, walk free. Some remain in positions of power or live in the same community as their victims.quot;br /
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quot;The government of Bosnia and Herzegovina has an obligation to provide these victims of violations of international humanitarian law and crimes against humanity with access to justice and the full reparation to which they are entitled.quot;br /
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quot;For this to happen, the authorities must ensure comprehensive investigations that lead to prosecutions of war crimes of sexual violence in the country. Without meaningful justice and full and effective reparation, victims continue to suffer the effects of these horrific crimes.quot;br /
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The report, emstrongWhose justice? Bosnia and Herzegovinarsquo;s women still waiting/strong/em, outlines the failure of the justice system in the country. It also focuses on the failure of the authorities to provide the women with reparations, including compensation for the crimes committed against them, and the violations of their rights.br /
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quot;Many women who have survived sexual violence during the war cannot get any compensation due to the complex structures of the judicial and social welfare systems in the country.nbsp; In comparison to other war victims, they suffer discrimination in access to social benefits,quot; said Nicola Duckworth.br /
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Jasmina, a survivor of sexual violence during the war, told Amnesty International: quot;I canrsquo;t sleep without pills. I still get upset easily when people mention the war. An image, a memory, a TV spot can be a spark. I canrsquo;t stand it hellip; I need help.quot;br /
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The authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina have failed to provide these women with access to adequate healthcare or psychological support, which is provided only by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working with limited resources.br /
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A Bosnian NGO told Amnesty International that the vast majority of survivors of war crimes of sexual violence are not receiving any psychological assistance.br /
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Thousands of women survivors also lost family members. Many are not able to find or maintain jobs because of their psychological condition. Many remain without a stable source of income and live in poverty, unable to buy the medicines they need.br /
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As rape continues to be a taboo subject, in most cases the women face stigmatization rather than the recognition and vital assistance they need to help them rebuild their lives.br /
br /
quot;The authorities must work with NGOs in developing a comprehensive strategy to ensure that survivors receive reparations, including adequate pensions, assistance with access to work and the highest achievable standard of heath-care. The government should support survivors of war crimes of sexual violence, to give them a voice to demand their rights and combat discrimination and stigmatization they face in every day life,quot; Nicola Duckworth said.br /
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The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) was established in 1993 to prosecute serious violations of international humanitarian law, including sexual violence.br /
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However, the ICTY was only able to prosecute a limited number of the violations of international humanitarian law which took place during the wars in the former Yugoslavia. As of July 2009, the ICTY had prosecuted 18 cases related to sexual violence in Bosnia and Herzegovina.br /
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The War Crimes Chamber of the State Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina was created in 2005, to investigate and prosecute crimes that could not be prosecuted by the ICTY. To date, only 12 men have been convicted for crimes of sexual violence.br /
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Amnesty International has called on the parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina to extend the mandate of the international judges and prosecutors as they have helped to build the capacity of the country’s judiciary through their expertise, impartiality and independence.
/p

img src=http://www.amnesty.org/sites/impact.amnesty.org/files/imagecache/previewsize/sites/impact.amnesty.org/files/PUBLIC/Regions/ECA/bosnia-women-rape-100×100.jpg alt= title= /br/div align=right
emquot;This nation forgets everything. They forget about us victims. But I will never forget about what happened to me.quot;/em – Sabiha, interviewed by Amnesty Internationalbr /
br /
emquot;I do not know if it is possible to punish this crime. If justice exists at all?… Maybe somewhere but not here in Bosnia!quot;/em -nbsp; Bakira interviewed by Amnesty Internationalbr /
br /
div align=left
Successive governments of Bosnia and Herzegovina have failed to provide justice for thousands of women and girls who were raped during the 1992-1995 war, Amnesty International said in a report published on Wednesday.br /
br /
quot;During the war, thousands of women and girls were raped, often with extreme brutality; many were held in prison camps, hotels, private houses where they were sexually exploited. Many women and girls were killed,quot; said Nicola Duckworth, director of Amnesty International’s Europe and Central Asia Programme.br /
br /
quot;To this day, survivors of these crimes have been denied access to justice. Those responsible for their suffering, members of military forces, the police, paramilitary groups, walk free. Some remain in positions of power or live in the same community as their victims.quot;br /
br /
quot;The government of Bosnia and Herzegovina has an obligation to provide these victims of violations of international humanitarian law and crimes against humanity with access to justice and the full reparation to which they are entitled.quot;br /
br /
quot;For this to happen, the authorities must ensure comprehensive investigations that lead to prosecutions of war crimes of sexual violence in the country. Without meaningful justice and full and effective reparation, victims continue to suffer the effects of these horrific crimes.quot;br /
br /
/div
/div
p
The report, emstrongWhose justice? Bosnia and Herzegovinarsquo;s women still waiting/strong/em, outlines the failure of the justice system in the country. It also focuses on the failure of the authorities to provide the women with reparations, including compensation for the crimes committed against them, and the violations of their rights.br /
br /
quot;Many women who have survived sexual violence during the war cannot get any compensation due to the complex structures of the judicial and social welfare systems in the country.nbsp; In comparison to other war victims, they suffer discrimination in access to social benefits,quot; said Nicola Duckworth.br /
br /
Jasmina, a survivor of sexual violence during the war, told Amnesty International: quot;I canrsquo;t sleep without pills. I still get upset easily when people mention the war. An image, a memory, a TV spot can be a spark. I canrsquo;t stand it hellip; I need help.quot;br /
br /
The authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina have failed to provide these women with access to adequate healthcare or psychological support, which is provided only by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working with limited resources.br /
br /
A Bosnian NGO told Amnesty International that the vast majority of survivors of war crimes of sexual violence are not receiving any psychological assistance.br /
br /
Thousands of women survivors also lost family members. Many are not able to find or maintain jobs because of their psychological condition. Many remain without a stable source of income and live in poverty, unable to buy the medicines they need.br /
br /
As rape continues to be a taboo subject, in most cases the women face stigmatization rather than the recognition and vital assistance they need to help them rebuild their lives.br /
br /
quot;The authorities must work with NGOs in developing a comprehensive strategy to ensure that survivors receive reparations, including adequate pensions, assistance with access to work and the highest achievable standard of heath-care. The government should support survivors of war crimes of sexual violence, to give them a voice to demand their rights and combat discrimination and stigmatization they face in every day life,quot; Nicola Duckworth said.br /
br /
The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) was established in 1993 to prosecute serious violations of international humanitarian law, including sexual violence.br /
br /
However, the ICTY was only able to prosecute a limited number of the violations of international humanitarian law which took place during the wars in the former Yugoslavia. As of July 2009, the ICTY had prosecuted 18 cases related to sexual violence in Bosnia and Herzegovina.br /
br /
The War Crimes Chamber of the State Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina was created in 2005, to investigate and prosecute crimes that could not be prosecuted by the ICTY. To date, only 12 men have been convicted for crimes of sexual violence.br /
br /
Amnesty International has called on the parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina to extend the mandate of the international judges and prosecutors as they have helped to build the capacity of the country’s judiciary through their expertise, impartiality and independence.
/p