This collection is dedicated to the memory of my colleague and dear friend Tejshree Thapa (1966–2019), whose courage, intellectual clarity, and unwavering commitment to justice helped transform the way international law confronts sexual violence in war. Through her pioneering investigative work at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), she brought not only meticulous evidence but also profound humanity to the documentation of mass rape and sexual enslavement during the Bosnian war. Her work contributed to the landmark Foča prosecutions, which produced the first international convictions based solely on crimes of sexual violence, an achievement that marked a long-overdue recognition of survivors whose suffering had too often been denied or silenced.
From her early intellectual formation in philosophy and law to her later work documenting grave abuses across South Asia, Tejsh remained guided by a deep respect for the dignity of victims and by an unshakeable belief that truth, patiently uncovered and faithfully told, could reshape both the law and the conscience of the international community. Her legacy endures not only in jurisprudence and human rights documentation, but also in the example of moral courage, integrity, and compassion she offered to all who continue the struggle for justice.
On a personal note, I had the privilege of sharing an office with Tejsh for several years at the ICTY. Those years remain among the most meaningful of my professional life. I will always carry the memory of her friendship, her quiet strength and, amid the gravity of our work, the small moments of gentle, understated humor we shared.
Predrag Dojčinović