This submission highlights Human Rights Watch’s concerns in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). These include obstacles to fair and effective war crimes trials before cantonal and district courts; inadequate safeguards in national security expulsions; the treatment of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs); threats and violence against sexual minorities; and ethnic and religious discrimination in the political system

Justice for the worst crimes under international law—namely genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes—is vital for victims of the crimes wherever they occur and for building peaceful societies based on the rule of law.

Justice for the worst crimes under international law—namely genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes—should be a priority for the administration under President Barack Obama.

The European Union should send a strong message to Serbia that full cooperation with the Yugoslav tribunal, including the arrest and surrender of Bosnian war fugitive Ratko Mladic, remains necessary for EU membership.

Many people in Bosnia and beyond thought they would never see Radovan Karadzic standing before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). It seemed almost beyond the dreams of the rape victims that I interviewed in Bosnia in 1993, or those held in concentration camps. But even then, in the midst of the conflict and in very difficult circumstances, local civilians had painstakingly gathered detailed testimonies from survivors in the hope that one day, there would be justice for these crimes.

It’s the day many in Bosnia believed would never come – the delivery of Radovan Karadzic to the Hague face genocide and war crimes charges. But Karadzic’s trial, a milestone for justice, will not be enough to solve Bosnia’s complex human rights problems, many linked to the bloody legacy of the war directed by Karadzic and his military partner General Ratko Mladic, who remains at large. It won’t even be enough to settle wartime accounts, especially with those who pulled the trigger, rather than those who gave the orders.

The arrest of Radovan Karadzic, the former president of Republika Srpska, marks a major blow against impunity for the egregious crimes committed in the Balkans, Human Rights Watch said today. Karadzic is charged with genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes, including the massacre of up to 8,000 Bosnian men and boys after the fall of Srebrenica in July 1995.

Bosnia and Herzegovina’s cantonal and district courts face serious challenges in their efforts to fairly and efficiently try cases of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide, Human Rights Watch said in a new report released today. A sustained commitment by local authorities, as well as substantial international support, is needed to address the large backlog of cases, Human Rights Watch said.