The Gaza Tribunal, an independent civil society initiative established as a “people’s tribunal,” will hold its first public session in Sarajevo from May 26th to 29th. This significant event represents a key step in documenting alleged war crimes, addressing shortcomings of the international legal system, and advocating for justice for Palestinians, the organizers announced.
The Gaza Tribunal was officially launched in London in November 2024 by a coalition of academics, intellectuals, human rights activists, and representatives of civil society organizations, as a reaction to what they call “the complete failure of the organized international community to enforce international law” in Gaza.
The Tribunal is led by Richard Falk, a distinguished expert on international law and former United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories. The goal of the Tribunal is to “close the gap in the enforcement of law” by applying pressure from civil society on governments to act. This initiative does not rely solely on governments and their institutions but draws its authority from the people and their sense of justice.
The Sarajevo session represents a significant step forward in the work of the Gaza Tribunal, following previous preparatory meetings held in London (February 2025), Istanbul (February 2025), and Alicante (May 2025). Those earlier meetings were focused on procedural issues and strategic coordination in order to prepare for the first public session.
During four days of public hearings, Sarajevo will host the Tribunal’s Steering Committee, specialized chambers, Advisory Council, and expert witnesses. Participants will review research reports, hear witness and expert testimonies, and discuss the Draft Declaration – a document that will serve as a reference for international accountability and the prevention of similar situations in the future.
A jury of conscience, composed of about ten distinguished individuals from various fields, will evaluate the evidence presented by witnesses, experts, and chambers, and deliver a moral verdict.
On the first day of the session, May 26th, panels will be held on the Nakba and colonial genocide, patterns of genocide and specific acts, testimonies of researchers from the ground in Gaza, healthcare workers and civil society representatives, presentations on apartheid, the right to self-determination, forced population displacements, and the protection of civilians.
On the second day, discussions will be held on political realism and contemporary geopolitics as well as the political economy of genocide, with expert testimonies on the failures of the UN system and the criminalization of protest, analysis of the shortcomings of the international legal order, and alternative legal paradigms.
Panels on understanding genocide, ideological foundations, and resistance to genocide are scheduled for the third day of the session, and a roundtable with international experts and journalists will also be held. Presentation of conclusions will take place on the fourth day, and a special panel titled “From Srebrenica to Gaza” will be followed by a press conference.
The organizers of the Gaza Tribunal highlight the “growing frustration with the limitations and delays in formal international legal institutions,” such as the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Criminal Court (ICC). Although they acknowledge their investigations, the Tribunal seeks to supplement their work by focusing on the human aspect of the conflict and the impact on Palestinian civilians.
The Tribunal positions itself as a “people’s court,” which operates independently from formal legal processes, but at the same time puts pressure on international institutions to act.
Following the session in Sarajevo, the Gaza Tribunal plans to hold a final hearing in October 2025 in Istanbul, Turkey. During this event, the Jury of Conscience will present a draft of the Tribunal’s conclusions and decisions, including witness testimonies and statements from Palestinians affected by the crisis.
This hearing will be a key moment in the work of the Tribunal, as all collected evidence will be summarized and a moral verdict on the events in Gaza will be delivered.
