First online workshop for defense attorneys in war crimes cases

(Patria) - The first online workshop for defense attorneys in war crimes cases on the stigmatization of victims of wartime sexual violence was held today, organized by TRIAL International and the Ministry of Justice of BiH, as part of a project supported by Medica Mondiale. The topic of the workshop was "Stigmatization of victims of wartime sexual violence in the practice of courts in BiH and specific challenges for defense attorneys," and the lecturers were Judge of the Supreme Court of FBiH, Božidarka Dodik, and attorney of the Bar Association of the Federation of BiH, Irisa Čevra. On this occasion, participants were presented with rape myths, court practice of courts in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and practical examples of how to overcome stereotypes and stigmatization of victims when undertaking defense actions in criminal proceedings.

Emphasizing that TRIAL International has been dealing with the problem of stigmatization and stereotypes of survivors of wartime sexual violence for several years, Lamija Tiro, Legal Advisor at TRIAL International in BiH, pointed out that they first presented this problem through the publication "Rape Myths in Trials for Wartime Sexual Violence," after which direct work with judicial staff followed in the form of training for judges and prosecutors on this topic.

"As one of the recommendations in our publication also referred to defense attorneys, we decided to organize training for them and to point out how their practice and knowledge could be improved in this context. We also wanted to discuss the specific challenges of the defense during examination, evidence submission, and the like, all with the aim of avoiding the stigmatization of victims of wartime sexual violence who testify in criminal proceedings," said Tiro, expressing her hope that this cooperation with the Ministry of Justice of Bosnia and Herzegovina will continue in the future.

Attorney Mirsada Beganović-Žutić stated that professional development trainings of this type are invaluable for defense attorneys, given that they deal with a very sensitive topic.

"As a defense attorney, I can say that maintaining a balance between professional, ethical, and successful representation of my client, while at the same time having a correct and humane attitude towards the injured parties during cross-examination, is a challenge in itself, but also a skill. Therefore, it is important to raise awareness about the existence of prejudice and stigmatization in order to improve the actions of all participants in the proceedings and lead to the determination of the true facts," said Mirsada Beganović-Žutić.

"There are many dilemmas in working on these cases, and workshops of this kind are necessary so that all participants in the proceedings can do their job in the best possible way. In addition to professional improvement and familiarization with new court practices, we were given the opportunity to share our views and dilemmas and thus resolve them in the best possible way," said attorney Mirna Delalić, adding that she sincerely hopes that similar workshops will be organized in the future because they certainly improve the quality of defenses in criminal proceedings.