International Online Expert Lecture on Atrocity Crimes: The Case of Former Yugoslavia and the ICTY

On 7th July 2025, the Department of Criminal Law, Saveetha School of Law, SIMATS (Deemed to be University), Chennai organised an International Online Expert Lecture on “Atrocity Crimes: The Case of Former Yugoslavia and the ICTY”. The lecture was delivered by Dr. Annalisa Battista, Edinburgh Law School, University of Edinburgh.

The session offered a comprehensive analysis of atrocity crimes committed during the conflict in the former Yugoslavia and the role played by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in ensuring accountability. A key focus of the lecture was the prosecution of sexual violence and rape as war crimes and crimes against humanity, a landmark development in the evolution of international criminal law.

The lecture was live streamed in two classes at 2 p.m. and 50 students attended the lecture. The lecture was followed by a lively question and answer session. Dr. Jacob Joseph, Professor of Law, Saveetha School of Law was the Faculty organiser of the international online expert lecture.

The event concluded with a formal vote of thanks, appreciating the critical insights of the resource person and the active involvement of the participants. The lecture proved to be a valuable learning experience, particularly in understanding how international criminal tribunals have addressed gender-based atrocities in conflict settings.