Abstract:

The United Nations has failed to effectively address the international crimes committed  in the Former Yugoslavia during the civil war that broke out in early 1990s. The UN had a difficult test when it failed to both take effective measures to prevent the clashes and prosecute the perpetrators of the war crimes committed in the combat zone. The UN, which has remained passive and inactive during the conflict, paid particular attention to considering political balances rather than the pursuit of justice. To this end, it adopted a reluctant approach towards the International  Criminal Tribunal (ICTY) set up to prosecute the war criminals in Former Yugoslavia. The success stories of this tribunal may be attributable to the indespensable role played by the non-state actors which remained committed to the collection of war crimes evidence from combat sites. Civil society actors also took an aggressive stance during the hearings before the Tribunal, which issued pathbreaking  rulings that gave a new direction to international criminal law. 

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