PBS - A War on Trial: Justice for Ex-Yugoslavia (2021)

The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia - held in The Hague - was the biggest international trial of its kind to date. The opportunities and limitations of international justice lie at the heart of this documentary. What value does international justice have in modern society?

Director Lucio Mollica looks for answers by examining the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Established with the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 827 on May 25, 1993, the tribunal dealt with serious crimes committed during the Yugoslav Wars, which began in 1991.

Of the 161 people indicted, 84 were convicted - including Ratko Mladic, the former head of the Bosnian Serb army infamously known as the Butcher of Bosnia. Wartime Bosnian Serb president Radovan Karadzic was also sentenced to life imprisonment. The Tribunal issued its final judgement in November of 2017 and formally ceased to exist at the end of that same year.

Judges, public prosecutors and defense attorneys give us a rare, behind-the-scenes glimpse at how such an ad hoc court works. Victims and eyewitnesses explain the effect of such trials and assess the Tribunal's work. Even the perpetrators get to have their say. Yet the film's real protagonist is the court itself.