Posts Written By: hlcadmin

The first judgment on the responsibility of the state for the crimes in Kosovo: Compensation to families of victims of the crime in Podujevo

The First Basic Court in Belgrade delivered the judgment obliging the Republic of Serbia to pay compensation in the total amount of 25.9 million dinars to 24 closest relatives of fourteen women and children who were killed in front of their own houses in Podujevo in March 1999 by members of the Ministry of Interior unit “Scorpions”. The Humanitarian Law Center (HLC), which represents the families of victims, considers the court made the right decision after a nine-year proceeding adding that in the second instance proceeding, due to the nature of the case, the court must compare the amount of compensation to standards of the European Court of Human Rights in similar cases.

Closing the Karadžić File

NEW YORK – The conviction by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) of Radovan Karadžić, the former Bosnian Serb leader, for crimes against humanity and genocide filled many, including me, with a sense of deep satisfaction. The verdict has not only brought some semblance of closure to the most brutal European conflict since World War II; it has also demonstrated the international community’s commitment to ensuring justice and accountability in such matters. Not even the not-guilty verdict of the Serbian nationalist leader Vojislav Šešelj, reached just a few days after Karadžić’s, can undermine that impact.

Why Do Serbian Institutions Hide Information On War Crimes?

On April 5^th, 2016, the Humanitarian Law Center (HLC) presented its report “Access to documents related to crimes against international law in the possession of Serbian institutions: State Secret Prevails over Right to Truth”. The Report offers an overview of the practice in the Republic of Serbia Ministry of the Interior (MUP) and the Ministry of Defence (MO) in the enforcement of the rule on access to information of public importance in relation to investigation into the crimes against international law committed during the wars in the former Yugoslavia.

 

 

 

The Mechanism Launches First Online Exhibition of Archives

The Mechanism today launched its first online exhibition entitled “A Glimpse into the Archives”.

The purpose of this exhibition is to allow the general public to contextualize, access, and understand the value of the archives of the International Criminal Tribunals for Rwanda (ICTR) and for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), which are now in the custody of the Mechanism.

The exhibition features a selection of interesting items to illustrate the diversity of the records in the archives. The items include photographs of artefacts used as evidence in court, drawings made by witnesses, and an extract from a historic trial judgement.

Letter by the Coalition for the ICC addressed to the President of the Republic of Serbia on the occasion of awarding the President of Sudan with Medal of Honor

Access to documents related to crimes against international law in the possesion of Serbian institutions: State Secret Prevails over Right to the Truth

Open access to archives which contain documents that can assist in determining the facts about past human rights violations is a key prerequisite for the establishment of transitional justice processes and mechanisms. In societies like the Serbian, which have experienced periods marked by systematic violence, access to information regarding human rights violations is an essential element of the right of victims and society as a whole to know the truth.

(srpski) 15 godina od otkrivanja grobnice – obeležja nema

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(srpski) Nemanja Stjepanović: Srbija i Hrvatska i dalje računaju na podelu BiH

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Vojislav Seselj’s acquittal is a victory for advocates of ethnic cleansing

ICTY Trial Chamber Judgment in Šešelj Case: In Time of War, Laws Fall Silent

On March 31^st, 2016, the Trial Chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) delivered its  first instance judgment acquitting the President of the Serbian Radical Party (SRS), Vojislav Šešelj, of criminal responsibility on all counts of the indictment, with the dissenting opinion of one member of the Trial Chamber expressing criticism of the judgement in harsh tones. The Humanitarian Law Center (HLC) holds that the acquittal is based on findings which are in contradiction to the practice of the ICTY, as well as on an unsustainable reinterpretation of events which occurred during the wars, which is offensive to the victims.