Students Chat with Justice Goldstone

Internet Chat with Justice Richard Goldstone: Connecting Students to the World; Institute of International Studies, UC Berkeley

Students from Thurgood Marshall High in SF chat with Justice Richard Goldstone

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Ali: I am going to ask a question about the Bosnia war which is: What is being done to Milosevic right now because of the war crimes that he ordered his soldiers to commit?

Goldstone: Hello Ali. All leaders who were involved in the Bosnian war are the subject of investigation by the prosecutor's office in The Hague. Prosecutors cannot talk about their investigation, but I would say that what you assume about Milosevic would have to be backed up with evidence before he could be indicted as a suspect war criminal.

Ali: But Serbian soldiers have testified in courts that there were many mass graves of Bosnian Muslim men and boys. Doesn't that affect it in any way?

Ali Goldstone: Well Ali, that is proof that the war crimes were committed, but does not help proving who ordered them or committed them.

Ali: It is a shame that you cannot go into detail with us about this subject.

Goldstone: What more would you like to know?

Ali: What evidence have you found during your stays in Bosnia against the Serbian war crimes? Do you think it is likely that Milosevic will be charged with these crimes?

Goldstone: There has been a great deal of evidence made public about war crimes committed by Serbs and Bosnian Serbs and also, I would add, by other parties to the war in the former Yugoslavia. Long and detailed indictments have been issued against 74 alleged war criminals including Karadzic and Mladic and Kordic. Witnesses have given evidence on many war crimes including murder, rape, and torture. I really cannot comment on whether people who have not yet indicted are likely to be.

Ali: Thank you very much for your responses. I really appreciate it.

Dan Dan: Hi Justice Goldstone. I'd like to ask whether you think war tribunals could apply to other countries such as Cambodia to help stop genocide and discrimination?

Goldstone: It is a good question, Dan. My hope that there will be a tribunal to investigate war crimes wherever and by whomever they are committed. It is unjust and unfair that war crimes are investigated in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia when they were not in Iraq, Cambodia, Mozambique, and a number of other countries.

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