As a result of coordinated operational activities, authorities from Slovakia and the UK, supported by Eurojust and Europol, have dismantled an organised criminal group involved in trafficking Slovak victims for the purposes of sham marriages and sexual exploitation. Last week, house searches were performed in Glasgow by Police Scotland. Europol specialists were deployed on the spot to support the national authorities. As a result, five suspects were arrested and detained in police custody. Sixteen women – potential victims of trafficking – were also identified and were offered care and assistance by a specialised NGO. A significant amount of evidence (numerous travel documents, computer equipment, mobile telephones and cash) was seized during the operation, and will be used for further investigation. This joint action was preceded by extensive and complex investigations supported by Eurojust and Europol. Few days ago, the second phase of this coordinated operation took place in Trebisov, Slovakia, where four search warrants were executed and four arrests were made. The modus operandi of this organised criminal group was to recruit vulnerable women from challenging socio-economic backgrounds by deception, promising them attractive and well-paid jobs abroad, and then forcing them into sham marriages and prostitution. Europol actively supported this human trafficking operation and provided operational and analytical support to Slovakia and the UK throughout the investigation. Europol specialists in THB delivered real-time cross-checks of the data gathered using a mobile office and data extraction device during the actions. Eurojust and Europol facilitated judicial and police cooperation within a joint investigation team, bringing together efforts from both Member States. Several operational and coordination meetings were held at Europol and Eurojust.    

Tribunal President Carmel Agius today concluded a three-day official visit to Zagreb, Croatia. During the visit, President Agius met with the Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Davor Ivo Stier, Minister of Justice Ante Šprlje, and President of the Supreme Court Branko Hrvatin.

Croatian Ambassador to the Kingdom of the Netherlands Andrea Gustović-Ercegovac also participated in the visit.    During the meetings President Agius and Croatian officials discussed a range of topics including in particular the need to intensify regional cooperation in the prosecution of war crimes. In the context of the Tribunal’s closure at the end of 2017, President Agius expressed hope that the countries of the former Yugoslavia will continue the work of the Tribunal by bringing to justice those alleged to have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity. He stressed the need to do this efficiently as time is running out, and that the current state of cooperation among the countries of the former Yugoslavia must be improved.   The Tribunal’s legacy was another important topic of the meetings. President Agius informed the Croatian President and Prime Minister about the “ICTY Legacy Dialogues”,  a series of public events to be held throughout the year, aimed at ensuring that the Tribunal’s legacy continues to be impactful and to contribute to the processes of transitional justice in Croatia and throughout the region after the ICTY closes down. Further, President Agius recalled the initiative for the establishment of ICTY information centres, pursuant to Security Council Resolution 1966 (2010), which would make the Tribunal’s public records and archives available to the citizens of Croatia and throughout the region. The President invited the Croatian officials to further explore the possibilities for establishing such an information centre in Zagreb. This initiative was very well received by the Croatian leadership, who expressed their interest and support. This was the first in a series of visits that President Agius will pay to the countries of the former Yugoslavia before the ICTY closes at the end of this year.  

The latest documentary of the Tribunal’s Outreach Programme, Dubrovnik and Crimes against Cultural Heritage, had its English language premiere Thursday February 16,  at The Hague University of Applied Sciences, as part of the ICTY Legacy Dialogues series. The documentary provides an overview of the Tribunal’s work in adjudicating crimes of systematic destruction of institutions dedicated to religion, education or culture. The screening was attended by more than 120 guests, including diplomats, representatives of international and non-governmental organisations, lawyers, academics and students. Welcoming the guests, Tribunal President Judge Carmel Agius said: “Destruction of cultural heritage is a topic that, unfortunately, has regained prominence in today’s world […]. At the ICTY, we believe that our contribution to these efforts forms an important part of our legacy.” Following the screening, a panel discussion was held which explored issues relating to the adjudication of crimes against cultural heritage, with a focus on the ICTY’s pioneering work in clarifying the applicable law and bringing these crimes to justice. The panellists also discussed lessons to be learned for both the prevention of crimes against cultural heritage and adequate judicial responses to the commission of such crimes. The panel included Ms Marina Lostal, lecturer in international criminal law at The Hague University of Applied Sciences; Ms Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović, Secretary General of Europa Nostra – an association for the safeguarding of Europe’s cultural heritage; and Ms Laurel Baig, Senior Appeals Counsel in the Office of the Prosecutor of the Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals. Speaking about the relevance of the Tribunal’s legacy, Ms Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović said: “I think it is very very important that the extraordinary work, the painstaking work of the ICTY, has to go out of the walls of that building here in The Hague. The story has to be told to a much wider public.” Dubrovnik and Crimes against Cultural Heritage is the sixth in a series of documentary films produced by the ICTY’s Outreach Programme, as part of its efforts to bring the work and achievements of the Tribunal closer to audiences in the former Yugoslavia and around the world. The documentary is available online in English and in Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian. To obtain a free copy of the DVD, please send an e-mail to outreach@icty.org. The complete series of Outreach-produced documentaries can be viewed on the Tribunal’s website. The Outreach Programme is generously supported by the European Union.