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Bulgaria makes first voluntary contribution to war crimes victims’ fund – JURIST

The government of Bulgaria Monday made its first ever voluntary contribution to the Trust Fund for Victims (TFV) in the amount of €20,000 announced. The donation demonstrates Bulgaria’s support of the TFV and its belief in advancing restorative justice.Bulgarian Ambassador to the Kingdom of the Netherlands Konstantin Dimitrov delivered remarks regarding the contribution, saying:Bulgaria’s contribution serves to underpin our continuous support for the work of the Trust Fund for Victims and our commitment to a truly restorative vision of justice that has been embodied in the Rome Statute. We remain committed to further support the activities of the Trust Fund for Victims as an important element of the architecture of the Rome Statute in the fulfilment of its important mandate by ensuring assistance and reparations to the victims and their families to provide justice for all.The TFV intends to allocate Bulgaria’s contribution to three programs formed by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in Ituri Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo. One of the programs, established in response to the Lubanga case, addresses harm suffered by former child soldiers.The TFV was established in 2004 in accordance with Article 79 of the Rome Statute. It works within the ICC to deliver reparative justice to victims of genocide, crimes against humanity, the crime of aggression and war crimes falling within the ICC’s jurisdiction.Two mandates drive the mission of the TFV. The Reparations Mandate allows the TFV to collect fines and forfeitures from convicted individuals in order to grant reparation awards to victims. Separately, the Assistance Mandate enables the TFV to accept voluntary contributions to supplement reparations in the form of physical rehabilitation, psychological rehabilitation, and material support.