FLORENCE HARTMANN: A BITTER STRUGGLE TAKES PLACE AT ICTY BETWEEN POLITICAL INTERESTS AND JUSTICE

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (November 15,2007) – Book by Florence Hartmann entitled “Peace and Punishment: Secret Wars of the International Politics and Jurisdiction”, which caused a stir on the international scene, after it was published September 10, was promoted in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo.

Bosnian edition of this controversial book written by former ICTY Spokesperson Florence Hartmann was made possible by the Sarajevo publishing house Buybook.

The author’s stated that the ICTY is a bureaucratic and politically divided institution not serving at the level of its honorary mandate and it caught the eye of the world’s attention.

Hartmann said that the important positions at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) are oftentimes given to the persons who are primarily loyal to their countries, not to justice.

”This is not a book about history of the ICTY, but about a segment of their activities which was never made public”, the author stated in Sarajevo at the book promotion.

Hartmann said that her intention was to describe the “daily bitter struggle” at the ICTY which took place between the interests of justice and political interests. She added that all the information in the book are based on facts, real events and documents.

Former assistant to the ICTY Chief Prosecutor Carla Del Ponte stated in her book that there was a constant struggle present at the Tribunal, between the principles of court’s independence and attempts of the world’s biggest forces, primarily France, Great Britain and the USA to influence its activities.

Hartmann caused a stir with her book by revealing that the Russian Government hid Serbian war criminal Radovan Karadzic.

Also,according to Hartmann,Great Britain, USA and France purposefully left free former leaders of the Serbians living in Bosnia,Serbian war criminals Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic who are wanted for genocide committed during the 1992-1995 Serbian aggression against Bosnia.

The author stated that the ICTY Prosecution, which is the most tantalizing point of the system, spent a lot of time struggling against those pressures and obstacles.

”The truth is that the western countries helped the Tribunal, but they failed to do certain things they should have done. In that way, they tried to influence the Tribunal’s activities or direct them the wrong way”, Hartmann told the press.

She stated that major forces, such are France, Great Britain and the USA were crucial in the process of the Tribunal’s formation. However, those same countries were quite hostile towards the ICTY, which made all the work difficult at times.

The author deals in a chapter of her book with the issue of arrests and extradition of Serbian war criminals Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic.

She said that on the basis of very precise facts and events of 12 years ago, a conclusion is brought to light that “the attempts of their arrests always failed. The issue is that the local authorities’ representatives, as well as the representatives of the western countries did not want them arrested”.

Hartmann is also of the opinion that the International Community could have done a lot more in prevention of genocide in Bosnia.

She said that the Prosecution has managed to obtain typescripts of phone calls made between Serbia's leaders and leaders of the Serbians living in Bosnia in the period of spring-summer of 1995. The typescripts are a proof that Serbia planned the genocidal Serbian attack against the eastern Bosnian town of Srebrenica. The Prosecution managed to obtain the typescripts through the “third party”.

Hartmann emphasized that the International Community did not commit those crimes, but the fact remains that the IC did not prevent them either.

She stated that the ICTY is now facing its crucial period, for the International Community will have to decide on the way the Tribunal is to be closed.

That is still an open issue, Hartmann said and added that the worst option possible would be closing of the ICTY prior to Serbian war criminals Karadzic’s and Mladic’s arrests.

The author concluded in the end that the Tribunal managed to resist the pressures and obstacles up to a certain point. Had that not happened, some things would not have been the way they are, like indictment against Serbian war criminal Slobodan Milosevic.

The book “Peace and Punishment” by Florence Hartmann is now available in Bosnian and can be purchased at all the Buybook bookstores in Sarajevo, Mostar and Tuzla.