EXAMINING THE ROLE OF OUTREACH WORK IN THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM: THE CASE OF ICTY

Abstract

Outreach activities of international criminal tribunals remain as a neglected area in the field of international criminal law. This article draws attention to this very under-researched area and highlights the importance of outreach work in providing international criminal justice. By focusing on the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (the ICTY) as a case study, the article argues that outreach activities are significant for international criminal tribunals to gain the support of the local populations under their jurisdictions. For the purpose of the article, the ICTY’s main outreach activities are overviewed by using the online data provided in the ICTY’s official website. A detailed analysis of these activities through an engagement with the existing literature shows that delays in the outreach activities, lack of other transitional justice mechanisms, and plea bargaining became the main challenges for the ICTY’s outreach work. These conclusions are significant not only for an evaluation of the tribunal’s legacy in the region of former Yugoslavia but also for deriving “lessons learned” for the other international criminal tribunals and the permanent court International Criminal Court (ICC). International tribunals and courts must learn from the ICTY’s failures and should be vigilant from their establishment till their closure to enhance the public awareness about their work and to gain the support of the local communities under their jurisdictions.