On Tuesday, 9 June 2026, a meeting was held at the Supreme Court of Montenegro on enhancing regional cooperation between Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina in the area of protection and support for victims and witnesses of war crimes.

The meeting was attended by the President of the Supreme Court of Montenegro, Valentina Pavličić, with her associates; the Acting President of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Minka Kreho, with legal adviser Srđan Marković; representatives of the Ministry of Justice of Montenegro – Jelena Grdinić, Director General of the Directorate for Criminal and Civil Legislation, and Momir Jauković, Director General of the Directorate for the Judiciary; Željko Bogut, Secretary of the Ministry of Justice of Bosnia and Herzegovina; as well as representatives of Human Rights Action (HRA) and TRIAL International – Office in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Below we reproduce in full the statement of the Supreme Court of Montenegro, published on its website:

Supreme Court of Montenegro and Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina Enhance Cooperation in the Prosecution of War Crimes

Meeting focused on support for witnesses and victims and the possibility of concluding a cooperation agreement between the two institutions

A delegation of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Ministry of Justice of Bosnia and Herzegovina paid a working visit to the Supreme Court of Montenegro as part of activities aimed at strengthening regional cooperation in the prosecution of war crimes and improving the protection of and support for witnesses and victims in these proceedings. Representatives of the Ministry of Justice of Montenegro, as well as of the non-governmental organizations TRIAL International from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Human Rights Action from Montenegro, also attended the meeting.

The President of the Supreme Court of Montenegro, Valentina Pavličić, pointed to the importance of establishing effective mechanisms for supporting witnesses and victims, bearing in mind the complexity of war crimes proceedings and the need to prevent their further victimization. She noted that two proceedings are currently pending before Montenegrin courts involving a large number of witnesses, which makes it necessary to continuously develop mechanisms for their protection and support. She also emphasized that the Supreme Court has already established cooperation with the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals in The Hague in order to provide expert support in handling war crimes cases.

The Acting President of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Minka Kreho, presented that institution’s experience in conducting complex war crimes cases, particularly regarding the organization of hearings involving a large number of witnesses, the work of the witness support department, and the application of protective measures during proceedings. Speaking about the organization of trials in cases involving a large number of witnesses, she informed the participants about the practice of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina of holding status conferences, at which the schedule for presenting evidence and hearing witnesses is determined, contributing to more efficient conduct of proceedings and the smooth course of the main hearing. She also pointed to the importance of continuous psychological support for witnesses before and after testifying.

During the meeting, readiness was expressed to conclude a memorandum of understanding and cooperation between the two institutions in the field of support for witnesses and victims in war crimes cases, modeled on the agreement that already exists between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Serbia. It was assessed that such an agreement would represent a significant step forward in improving the protection of witnesses and victims, exchanging experience, and further connecting the two institutions. It was emphasized that its content could be further improved through new solutions and practices that contribute to more effective protection of witnesses and victims.

Representatives of the ministries of justice of Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina emphasized the importance of further improving the normative and institutional framework for supporting victims and witnesses, including issues related to the exercise of property-law claims and the possibility of establishing additional mechanisms of support for injured parties. Possibilities for improving international legal assistance in war crimes cases were also considered, particularly with regard to summoning witnesses and obtaining evidence in cross-border criminal proceedings.

In this context, the activities of civil society organizations aimed at improving the position of victims of war crimes were also presented, including the initiative of the NGO TRIAL International to establish mechanisms for exercising property-law claims within criminal proceedings, as well as the activities of the NGO Human Rights Action in preparing a manual for supporting victims and witnesses in war crimes proceedings.

The meeting was organized within the framework of a project implemented by the two non-governmental organizations and funded by the Government of the Netherlands.