Milosevic Prosecutor Speaks at IOP Forum

At the start of her speech at the Institute of Politics last night, United Nations (U.N.) prosecutor Carla Del Ponte addressed the problem of modern genocide with a single statement: “‘Never again’ did not work.”

As Chief U.N. Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), Del Ponte shared her experiences prosecuting war criminals—including former Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic—with a large gathering of undergraduate and graduate students in the John F. Kennedy, Jr. Forum.

In her first speech to an American university audience, just a month before the 60th anniversary of the Nuremberg Trials, Del Ponte discussed how her tribunal attempts to address the unlawful actions of political and military leaders from the former Yugoslavia.

Born in Lugano, Switzerland, the 52-year-old Del Ponte rose to the position of Swiss attorney general, investigating connections between Italian drug dealers and Swiss money launderers, former Russian President Boris Yeltsin, and the traditional secrecy of Swiss financial institutions.

Her investigation of the Sicilian mafia led to a failed attempt on her life when in 1988, when a half-ton of explosive was discovered in the foundation of her home in Palermo, Italy.

In 1999, Del Ponte was named chief prosecutor of the International War Crimes Tribunal. Her dual responsibilities in this role have been addressing allegations of genocide in Rwanda and in the Former Yugoslavia.

In her speech last night, Del Ponte said ICTY has had “considerable success” and has “contributed greatly to the cause of justice” by indicting 162 leaders from the Former Yugoslavia on charges of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.

The trial of Slobodan Milosevic—who was indicted in 1999 and arrested in April of 2001—has been overshadowed recently by the trial of another notorious leader, Saddam Hussein.

“If you want to be sure that he has a fair trial,” Del Ponte said about the former Iraqi president, “he should be tried outside of Iraq. [It is] difficult for witnesses to testify in Baghdad.”

The diminutive Del Ponte, who is proficient in four languages, displayed a dry wit and passion for debate in her interaction with audience members.

When asked how the world community can successfully intervene in cases like the that of the Former Yugoslavia, Del Ponte replied, “I don’t know, I’m just a prosecutor.”

And when one audience member asked what motivates her to continue this dangerous line of work, Del Ponte said, “I do that for the victims. Contact with victims [is] the only moment I am emotionally involved. You are confronted each day with the incredible.”