EVENT: Presentation of the “Šljivovica and Mitrovo Polje” Dossier
On 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.
Following 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. 
The 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.