Date: February 19, 1998
Author: Graham T. Blewitt, Deputy Prosecutor, ICTY
Addressed to: Valentina Krčmar, Director of Public Relations, Bedem Ljubavi – Mothers for Peace
View the Original Letter: krcmar book 3_Part14_Part210.pdf
About This Letter
This official letter, dated February 19, 1998, was sent from Graham T. Blewitt, Deputy Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), in response to Valentina Krčmar’s formal request to meet with Madam Justice Louise Arbour, Chief Prosecutor of the Tribunal, regarding her evidence on war crimes committed by the Serbian Red Cross.
The letter represents a historic acknowledgment of Krčmar’s work and advocacy. For years, she had fought to bring international attention to the misuse of humanitarian institutions during the Yugoslav Wars, documenting the role of the Serbian Red Cross in atrocities across Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. This correspondence confirms that her persistence had reached the highest levels of international justice.
Blewitt writes in an official, courteous tone:
“With reference to your letter dated 17 February 1998, I wish to confirm that the most convenient time for a meeting with the Prosecutor and her team would be on Wednesday, 25 February at 15.00 hrs.”
The meeting, scheduled for February 25, 1998, at the Tribunal offices in The Hague, marked a significant moment for Mothers for Peace, validating their years of documentation and moral advocacy.
The letter closes formally, affirming both respect and recognition of Krčmar’s efforts:
“I look forward to meeting you next week.”
Signed,
Graham T. Blewitt
Deputy Prosecutor, ICTY
This brief exchange stands as tangible evidence of how grassroots activism, led by a small group of determined women in Toronto, had succeeded in piercing the veil of international bureaucracy. It marks a moment when truth and accountability began to move from the margins of advocacy into the halls of global justice.
