The conference was held at the UNITIC-center in Sarajevo from September 1 to September 3, 2009. Among the speakers and participants were representatives from NGOs, legal and media institutions in the Western Balkans region, as well as from the ICTY in the Hague.
Mr. Braathu emphasized the importance of transparency in the legal system with regards to ensuring public trust and support, especially when dealing with war crimes cases. He also pointed out the possible consequences of information from these cases being misinterpreted or misunderstood by the public and underscored the media's responsibility for ensuring fair, balanced and correct reporting.
He also commended BIRN for their tireless work in providing "a needed and necessary public information service in judicial outreach from war crimes prosecutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina and beyond", and stated that Norway is proud of being a longstanding supporter of the organization.
Read the entire speech here.
More on the conference from BIRN.