SARAJEVO/ISTANBUL

The Gaza Tribunal, a people’s tribunal established as an independent initiative with humanitarian and moral objectives to investigate Israel's ongoing war crimes in Gaza, continued its first public session on Tuesday in Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Held at the International University of Sarajevo (IUS), the session convened under the theme of International Relations & World Order, bringing together academics, legal experts, human rights advocates, and representatives from civil society.

The first public session of the Gaza Tribunal started in Sarajevo on May 26 and will continue until May 29.

Discussions focused on a wide range of issues, including the political economy of genocide and Gaza’s destruction, the crime of starvation, the role of the international system in the age of genocide, people’s tribunals, and the criminalization of student protests.

Richard Falk, former UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories and a leading figure behind the Gaza Tribunal, joined the first session virtually.

As part of the program, panels will be held on Political Realism and Contemporary Geopolitics and Political Economy of Genocide, along with a special session titled From Srebrenica to Gaza.

On the final day, the Sarajevo Declaration will be presented to the public.  

Final proceedings to be held in Istanbul

The Gaza Tribunal was formally launched in London in November 2024 by a coalition of academics, intellectuals, human rights advocates, and representatives from civil society organizations in response to what they describe as “the total failure of the organized international community to implement international law” in Gaza.

Following the assembly in Sarajevo, the tribunal plans to hold its final hearing session in October 2025 in Istanbul.

During this event, a Jury of Conscience will present a draft of the tribunal’s findings and decisions, drawing on testimonies from witnesses and statements from Palestinians affected by the crisis.