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War Crimes Research Office

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War Crimes Section of the State Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina

The State Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) was created by the Law on the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, initially enacted by the Office of the High Representative in 2000 and adopted by the Bosnia and Herzegovina Parliamentary Assembly in 2004. In late December 2004, the Law on the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina was amended to provide that the criminal division of the State Court would consist of three sections: Section I for War Crimes; Section II for Organized Crime, Economic Crime, and Corruption; and Section III for all other criminal offenses under the jurisdiction of the court. The amended law entered into force 6 January 2005, and the War Crimes Section has been trying international crimes -- including genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes -- since that time. Accordingly, the WCRO focuses its work on the State Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina on the proceedings in Section I.