On 22 February 1993, the UN Security Council decided in prinicple to set up an ad hoc international tribunal to try serious violations of humanitarian law committed during the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia since 1991. In this document Amnesty International sets out 15 guiding principles by which it will judge whether the Tribunal is just, fair and effective. These incorporate the following concerns: the Tribunal must be judicially independent and objective; have powers to effectively prosecute and convict; ensure the accused receive a fair trial; provide compensation and rehabilitation for victims; ensure victims, families and witnesses are protected; give special consideration to cases involving violence against women; it must not adopt the death penalty.
