International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia

The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) was a UN court, established in 1993, to prosecute serious violations of international humanitarian law committed in the former Yugoslavia. Based in The Hague, the ICTY tried senior political, military, and paramilitary leaders for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. The ICTY issued landmark genocide findings related to Srebrenica, recognized rape and sexual enslavement as crimes against humanity (e.g., the Foča cases), refined doctrines like command responsibility and joint criminal enterprise, and affirmed that no rank or office shields individuals from criminal accountability. The tribunal created an authoritative record of the conflicts, promoted individual responsibility, and advanced victims’ participation. The ICTY completed its trials and closed in 2017. Residual functions, such as appeals, enforcement, and tracking fugitives, were transferred to the UN’s International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals.