International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia

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International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia

International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia

international organization

Also known as: ICTY, International Criminal Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia(Show More)

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July 16, 2026

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International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia — International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia Building housing the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, The Hague.

The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) was established by the United Nations Security Council in 1993 to prosecute individuals responsible for serious violations of international humanitarian law committed in the former Yugoslavia since 1991. It was located in The Hague, Netherlands.1

The ICTY had jurisdiction over grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions, violations of the laws or customs of war, genocide, and crimes against humanity. It recognized sexual violence as a war crime and prosecuted acts such as rape, murder, torture, deportation, and enslavement. The tribunal's statute made it clear that an individual's official position, including head of state, did not exempt them from criminal culpability. Leaders who knew or should have known their subordinates were committing war crimes could be prosecuted under the doctrine of command responsibility.1

The ICTY completed its work and closed in 2017, with its remaining functions transferred to the Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals.1

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Croatia
Independent Croatia
…particularly over cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), which indicted several Croatian generals who, according to many Croats, had heroic wartime reputations.
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…particularly over cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), which indicted several Croatian generals who, according to many Croats, had heroic wartime reputations.
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ethnic cleansing
…Yugoslavia and in Rwanda (the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia [ICTY] and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda [ICTR], respectively), and the International Criminal Court (ICC), which began sittings in 2002. In 1992, in reference to the hostilities in Yugoslavia, the UN General Assembly declared ethnic cleansing to…
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…Yugoslavia and in Rwanda (the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia [ICTY] and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda [ICTR], respectively), and the International Criminal Court (ICC), which began sittings in 2002. In 1992, in reference to the hostilities in Yugoslavia, the UN General Assembly declared ethnic cleansing to…
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genocide
Recent developments
…Council established separate tribunals, the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), both of which contributed to the clarification of the material elements of the offense of genocide as well as of the criteria establishing individual criminal responsibility for its commission.…
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…Council established separate tribunals, the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), both of which contributed to the clarification of the material elements of the offense of genocide as well as of the criteria establishing individual criminal responsibility for its commission.…
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Ratko Mladić
After the Bosnian conflict, the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) concluded that the killings at Srebrenica, along with the mass expulsion of Bosniak civilians, constituted genocide. The ICTY charged Mladić with genocide and crimes against humanity, stating that he “was a member of a joint criminal enterprise…
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After the Bosnian conflict, the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) concluded that the killings at Srebrenica, along with the mass expulsion of Bosniak civilians, constituted genocide. The ICTY charged Mladić with genocide and crimes against humanity, stating that he “was a member of a joint criminal enterprise…
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Biljana Plavšić
The International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia indicted Plavšić in January 2001, charging that her actions in 1992, as a member of collective presidencies of both Bosnia and the breakaway Serbian Republic of Bosnia, constituted crimes against humanity and that Plavšić actively supported the ethnic…
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The International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia indicted Plavšić in January 2001, charging that her actions in 1992, as a member of collective presidencies of both Bosnia and the breakaway Serbian Republic of Bosnia, constituted crimes against humanity and that Plavšić actively supported the ethnic…
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rape
Rape as a weapon of war
…in the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda both included rape, making these tribunals among the first international bodies to prosecute sexual violence as a war crime. In a landmark case in 1998, the Rwandan tribunal ruled that “rape and sexual violence constitute genocide.” The International Criminal Court, established…
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…in the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda both included rape, making these tribunals among the first international bodies to prosecute sexual violence as a war crime. In a landmark case in 1998, the Rwandan tribunal ruled that “rape and sexual violence constitute genocide.” The International Criminal Court, established…
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Srebrenica genocide
The International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY)—established in May 1993, before the massacre, to scrutinize ongoing military conduct—concluded that the killings at Srebrenica, compounded by the mass expulsion of Bosniak civilians, amounted to genocide. It pinned principal responsibility on senior officers in the Bosnian…
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The International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY)—established in May 1993, before the massacre, to scrutinize ongoing military conduct—concluded that the killings at Srebrenica, compounded by the mass expulsion of Bosniak civilians, amounted to genocide. It pinned principal responsibility on senior officers in the Bosnian…
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war crime
Rwanda and Yugoslavia war crimes tribunals
…Nations Security Council established the International Criminal Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia since 1991, commonly known as the ICTY. In November 1994 the UN responded to charges of genocide in Rwanda by creating…
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…Nations Security Council established the International Criminal Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia since 1991, commonly known as the ICTY. In November 1994 the UN responded to charges of genocide in Rwanda by creating…
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Zoran Živković
…with the United Nations’ (UN) International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague, which had been established after the Yugoslav civil wars of the 1990s. Together with Zoran Djindjić, the prime minister of Serbia, Živković played a major role in handing indicted war criminals, such as Milošević,…
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…with the United Nations’ (UN) International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague, which had been established after the Yugoslav civil wars of the 1990s. Together with Zoran Djindjić, the prime minister of Serbia, Živković played a major role in handing indicted war criminals, such as Milošević,…
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