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Dossier „Šljivovica and Mitrovo Polje“

Dossier „Šljivovica and Mitrovo Polje“

Dosije-SljivovicaIMitrovoPolje-enAfter capturing Žepa in late July 1995 approximately 800 Bosniaks from Žepa crossed the River Drina and entered the territory of the Republic of Serbia, frightened for their lives after rumours had spread of the crimes committed by the Army of Republika Srpska in Srebrenica. Most of them were members of the Army of BiH, but there were also civilians, including dozens of underage boys. Almost immediately after crossing, the men were taken captive by border guards of the Yugoslav Army and members of Special Police Units.

After registration and interrogation, accompanied by ill-treatment, all detainees were taken to the Šljivovica camp in Braneško Polje, near Čajetina. As there was no room in Šljivovica for such a large number of people, a group of detainees was transferred to another camp, located in Mitrovo Polje (Aleksandrovac municipality). In both camps, detainees were subjected to torture, sexual violence, inhumane treatment, humiliation and starvation, and were robbed of their possessions. Three detainees died as a result of the torture.

The Mitrovo Polje camp was closed in February 1996. The camp in Šljivovica was closed in April 1996, when the last remaining detainees were freed.

To date, no one has been called to account for the torture, abuse and deaths of Žepa male detainees in the camps in Serbia. Although the names are known of the inspectors and guards who were in the camps, no proceedings have ever been brought before any domestic court to establish the criminal responsibility of these individuals for acting contrary to domestic and international law. Neither the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia nor the International Court of Justice has addressed the torture of the Bosniaks in Serbian camps, although both courts were presented with evidence concerning these crimes.

The dossier „Šljivovica and Mitrovo Polje“ is available here.

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EVENT: Presentation of the “Šljivovica and Mitrovo Polje” Dossier

EVENT: Presentation of the “Šljivovica and Mitrovo Polje” Dossier

Dosije-SljivovicaIMitrovoPolje-enOn Thursday, 22 December 2016, the Humanitarian Law Center will present its Dossier “Šljivovica and Mitrovo Polje”. The event will take place at the Belgrade Media Center’s Main Hall (Terazije 3, 2nd Floor) at 11:00 a.m.

After the fall of the protected enclave of Žepa in late July 1995, around 800 Bosniaks sought refuge in the territory of Serbia.  However, immediately after crossing into Serbia they were captured and then taken to two detention camps – Šljivovica near Čajetina and Mitrovo Polje near Aleksandrovac. Until the closure of the camps in April 1996, the detained Bosniaks were subjected to torture, sexual violence, inhumane and degrading treatment, and starvation, and robbed of their belongings.

The “Šljivovica and Mitrovo Polje” Dossier is based on the statements of camp survivors, authentic documents of the Army of Republika Srpska, military and police documents and documents that have been admitted as evidence in several cases conducted at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), as well as on the testimonies of members of the Serbian Army and Serbian Police, and representatives of the international community before the ICTY, the International Court of Justice and the First Basic Court in Belgrade.

The Dossier presents evidence implicating current members of the Army of Yugoslavia and the Serbian Ministry of the Interior in criminal acts committed against the Bosniaks from Žepa during their captivity in Serbia.

Speakers:

  • Milica Kostić, Legal Programme Director, HLC
  • Ivana Žanić, Legal Analyst, HLC
  • Senad Jusufbegović, former detainee of the Mitrovo Polje camp

Simultaneous translation into English will be provided.  

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Human Losses in Wars in Former Yugoslavia: Victims Should Be Remembered By Names Not By Numbers

Human Losses in Wars in Former Yugoslavia: Victims Should Be Remembered By Names Not By Numbers

RecomFollowing the presentations in Zagreb and Sarajevo, the results from the list of human losses during the armed conflicts in Croatia, Kosovo, and partially in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), as well as the list of detention sites in the armed conflict in BiH, were presented in Belgrade on December 15th, 2016. According to the research in progress, 13,535 persons were either killed or disappeared during the war in Kosovo, and 2,057 citizens of Serbia and Montenegro were killed or disappeared during the wars in Croatia and BiH, whereas approximately 160,000 citizens of BiH were detained in camps set up throughout the territory of that country.

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Presentation of the research of human losses and detention sites during the wars in the former Yugoslavia

Presentation of the research of human losses and detention sites during the wars in the former Yugoslavia

RecomOn the occasion of the International Human Rights Day, the Coalition for RECOM will present its research into the human losses and detention sites during the wars in the former Yugoslavia on December 15th, 2016. The event will take place at the Belgrade Media Center at 11 a.m., and will include the participation of Nataša Kandić, the RECOM Project Coordinator, Slaven Rašković from Center for Dealing with the Past-Documenta (Croatia), Dženana Karup Druško, from the association “Transitional Justice, Accountability and Remembrance” (Bosnia and Herzegovina), and Bekim Blakaj, from the Humanitarian Law Center Kosovo.

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Serbian Documentary “Depth Two” Awarded Prize for Best Film at Festival dei Popoli in Florence

Serbian Documentary “Depth Two” Awarded Prize for Best Film at Festival dei Popoli in Florence

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The Serbian Documentary film “Depth Two” by Director Ognjen Glavonić won the Award for Best Documentary Film at the 57th Documentary Film Festival dei Popoli in Florence.

Festival dei Popoli is the oldest and most important documentary film festival in Italy. It was held this year from November 25th until December 2nd in Florence, and “Depth Two” won the Award for the Best feature-length Documentary in the official international competition, which is the greatest prize this Festival offers.

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The fourteenth issue of the Bulletin “through ACCESSION towards JUSTICE”

The fourteenth issue of the Bulletin “through ACCESSION towards JUSTICE”

bilten_engThe new issue of the through ACCESSION towards JUSTICE bulletin brings an interview with the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), Mr. Serge Brammertz, who spoke about the importance of establishing criminal justice for the war crimes committed and the achievements of the ICTY and national judiciaries. The Bulletin also relays an opinion about whether the European Union is faced with certain constraints, which make it difficult for the EU to approach the issues of establishing justice for the crimes committed in a more decisive and thorough manner. Mr. Iavor Rangelov and Ms. Marika Theros from the London School of Economics and Ms. Nataša Kandić, the founder of the Humanitarian Law Center and the RECOM Initiative Coordinator, give their answers to these questions.

The News section highlights current developments in the areas of transitional justice and Serbia’s EU integration process, and the War Crimes Trials section offers an overview of recently held trials and rulings delivered.

Send us your opinions and comments on the newsletter and/or the topics discussed to the e-mail address towardsJUSTICE@hlc-rdc.org. Discussion is also welcome on Twitter/#towardsJUSTICE.

Download your copy of the bulletin here.

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