Special Achievement Award

The Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia

The Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal  for the former Yugoslavia has successfully investigated and prosecuted many of the worst atrocities that occurred during the armed conflicts marking the violent disintegration of Yugoslavia in the 1990s. Accordingly The Office of the Prosecutor has indicted and prosecuted numerous individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity and/or war crimes, who has been brought to trial before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. The Office of the Prosecutor secured 83 convictions and 7 cases remain currently ongoing.

The Office of the Prosecutor  further developed international criminal law and international humanitarian law. The Office of the Prosecutor greatly contributed to defining crimes against humanity, particularly the crime against humanity persecution. Additionally The Office of the Prosecutor has worked to expand and refine the law of conflict-related sexual violence offences. Finally The Office of the Prosecutor helped to significantly develop the law on the crime of genocide. Thereby The Office of the Prosecutor investigated and prosecuted many significant crimes such as the Srebrenica genocide, massive ethnic cleansing campaign in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Kosovo, the siege of Sarajevo, war crimes by foreign fighters and several crimes of conflict-related sexual violence.

The Office of the Prosecutor was the first international prosecution service to implement the principle of complementarity in war crimes. The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and The Office of the Prosecutor have taken many criminals of war to trial, where they have been brought to justice. They have carried a heavy burden, which has been handled with the highest standards of professionality and in accordance with the IAP’s principles.