LOCAL COMMUNITY OUTREACH ROUNDTABLE FOCUSING ON THE WORK OF THE BIH JUDICIAL INSTITUTIONS HELD IN KISELJAK

At the roundtable in Kiseljak, which was organized with the aim of introducing the work of the Court and the Prosecutor's Office of BiH to local communities, the representatives of the Prosecutor's Office of BiH presented the history and the organization of the POBIH, as well as the work invested in completed war crimes cases where final verdicts were rendered.

The roundtable participants were informed about the structure of the Prosecutor's Office of BiH and the Special Department for War Crimes as well as the specificity of the work on war crimes relating to the events that took place 17 years ago or more.

To ensure better understanding of the work of the prosecutor's office, the audience was informed about the complexity of the work on war crimes cases where it is often necessary to examine dozens of witnesses and gather several hundred pieces of evidence within a single case.

The attendees were explained that this is what makes war crimes cases specific and time consuming. It was also explained what needs to be done through the various stages of the case, from the very beginning and the order to initiate the investigation through indictment and trial stages until the final and binding verdict is rendered

The round table was attended by representatives of the local community, including representatives of the Associations of war crimes victims from the territory of Kiseljak, representatives of police and judicial structures, as well as representatives of non-governmental organizations, media and interested citizens.

The roundtable participants also had the opportunity to pose questions to the representatives of the Prosecutor's Office of BiH about everything they were interested in within the scope of the POBiH operations.

The Kiseljak roundtable was organized by the RS Helsinki Committee for Human Rights with the support of the U.S. Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The POBiH representatives regularly participate in roundtables and conferences devoted to creating a better understanding of the work of the Prosecutor's Office of BiH among the local communities and citizens throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina.