Open Letter to the High Prosecutorial Council Regarding the Appointment of the War Crimes Prosecutor

Dear Members of the High Prosecutorial Council,

We are writing to you regarding the appointment of the Chief War Crimes Prosecutor, considering your responsibility to appoint a person with professional integrity to this critical position, whose leadership will enhance the work of the Public Prosecutor’s Office for the War Crimes (OWCP) and contribute to the more efficient prosecution of war crimes. Given that more than thirty years have passed since the beginning of the armed conflicts in the former Yugoslavia, the upcoming mandate of the Chief Prosecutor is of exceptional importance, as there is less and less time to bring those responsible for crimes to justice.

In this context, we express concern that Ms. Snežana Stanojković is again among the candidates for this position despite the serious shortcomings and erosion of the OWCP’s credibility during her previous term.

Silence for 756 Victims of NATO Bombings

The Humanitarian Law Center calls on citizens, university and high school students to mark March 24 with a moment of silence lasting 7+5+6 minutes, in memory of the 756 individuals who lost their lives during the 78 days of NATO bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1999.

A total of 756 people were killed in the NATO attacks: 451 civilians (217 Albanians, 204 Serbs, and 30 Roma and others), 276 members of the Yugoslav Army and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Serbia, and 29 members of the Kosovo Liberation Army.

Urgent: End the Political Persecution of Activists from the STAV Youth Group and Members of the PSG

On Friday, March 14, activist and student Lazar Dinić was arrested in Belgrade, while in Novi Sad, members of the Free Citizens Movement (PSG) were detained: Lado Jovović, Marija Vasić, Davor Stefanović, Srđan Đurić, and Mladen Cvijetić. On March 16, the Higher Court in Novi Sad ordered a 30-day detention for these six individuals, and today, searches were carried out at the apartments of activists who are currently out of the country.

The arrests followed the release of an audio recording made by eavesdropping on a meeting attended by members of the Movement of Free Citizens (PSG), as well as activists from the STAV group. According to information received from the attorney of the arrested individuals, the recording was made by the Serbian Security Information Agency (BIA), and the order was signed by the president of the Higher Court in Belgrade. The attorney did not have access to the contents of the order, he only obtained the information that it exists.

Statement on the First-instance Judgement in the Labljane Case

On February 28, 2025, the War Crimes Department of the Higher Court in Belgrade delivered a judgement finding Tefik Mustafa guilty of the criminal offense of organizing and inciting to commit genocide and war crimes. He was sentenced to one year in prison.

In delivering the judgement, the presiding judge, Snežana Nikolić-Garotić, stated that the court had determined that Tefik Mustafa, as a member of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), during the international armed conflict between the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) and the NATO military alliance, and at the same time the non-international armed conflict between the armed forces of the FRY and the organized armed formation the KLA, was part of a group organized to commit war crimes against Serbian civilians in the villages of Labljane, Slivovo, and the surrounding areas. On June 19, 1999, the group set up a checkpoint near the village of Labljane. There armed with automatic wheapons, they where forcibly stopping the Serbian civilians leaving their homes, taking them out of their vehicles, and frightening them by shooting. On that day, they stopped a truck with civilians Goran Marinković, Živojin Pavić, and Predrag Miljković. Miljković and Pavić were last seen at that checkpoint. Goran Marinković was taken to the Kačikol camp for a prisoner exchange, but was never seen again.

HLC Files Criminal Complaint for Killings of Civilians in Jezero

On February 25, 2025, the Humanitarian Law Center (HLC) filed a criminal complaint with the Public Prosecutor’s Office for War Crimes of the Republic of Serbia against Milorad Vukašević, Commander of the First Partisan Infantry Brigade of the Army of the Republic of Srpska (VRS), and other members of this unit for killings of 34 Bosniak civilians in June 1992 in Jezero (Jajce municipality, Bosnia and Herzegovina).

In early June 1992, members of the First Partisan Infantry Brigade (hereinafter 1st PartBr), part of the 30th Partisan Division of the First Krajina Corps VRS in whose zone of responsible the municipality of Jajce was located, carried out an artillery and infantry attack on the civilian population of Jezero, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Milorad Vukašević. Mortars and anti-tank rockets were used in the attack. The poorly organized Bosniak population of Jezero, mostly armed with hunting rifles, resisted the Serbian forces. However, shortly after the attack began, they decided to flee. As all roads leading out of Jezero were blocked, most residents escaped during the night between June 1 and 2, 1992, crossing Pliva Lake by boat and fleeing toward Jajce. Those who remained in Jezero were mostly elderly individuals and those unwilling to leave their homes.

War Criminals Belong in Prison, Not in Public Spaces

The Humanitarian Law Center filed a request for action on the war crimes criminal complaint against Ratko Adžić, who attacked students during a blockade in Belgrade:

Following media reports of Ratko Adžić’s violent behavior against students and high schoolers peacefully commemorating victims of the canopy collapse in Novi Sad and calling for institutional accountability, the Humanitarian Law Center (HLC), on 19 December 2024, submitted a request to the Public Prosecutor’s Office for War Crimes (PPOWC) seeking concrete information on the handling of the criminal complaint filed by the HLC and the Association of Families of Missing Persons from Ilijaš Municipality (Bosnia and Herzegovina) against Adžić in 2016.

The criminal complaint was submitted on reasonable suspicion that Ratko Adžić and others were responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed against the non-Serb population in the Ilijaš municipality in 1992. Action by the Public Prosectutor’s Office for War Crimes on this criminal complaint would benefit Serbian society in multiple ways. Establishing individual responsibility for serious crimes removes war criminals from public spaces, making these safer for citizens. In this specific case, it would also prevent someone reasonably suspected of involvement in killings, rapes, abuse, and looting of civilians from engaging in educational work with high school students. Timely, efficient, and appropriate punishment for past human rights violations also fosters accountability in society and strengthens the rule of law, where all are equal before the law and everyone is being held accountable. If Ratko Adžić had been prosecuted for the war crimes with which he is associated, he would not pose a threat to citizens today, nor would impunity be possible for incidents such as the canopy collapse.

First Instance Judgment in the Jajce Case – Unacceptably Low Sentences for Murder of Civilians

On 16 December 2024, the War Crimes Department of the Higher Court in Belgrade delivered a judgment finding Jovo Jandrić and Slobodan Pekez guilty of the murder of 23 civilians, including 4 minors and 10 women, residents of the villages Čerkazovići and Ljoljići (Jajce Municipality), which constitutes a war crime against the civilian population. Jovo Jandrić was sentenced to 13 years imprisonment, while Slobodan Pekez received a 10-year prison sentence.

The judgment established that, late on the evening of 10 September 1992, a group of approximately 10 armed members of the military and police, including Slobodan Pekez, Mirko (Špiro) Pekez, Mirko (Mile) Pekez, Simo Savić, Milorad (Đura) Savić, Zoran Marić, Ilija Pekez, Milorad (Ljupko) Savić, and Blagoje Jovetić, organized and led by Jovo Jandrić, unlawfully detained and forcibly removed Bosniak civilians from their homes in the villages of Čerkazovići and Ljoljići, mostly women, children, and elderly people. Under a threat of death, they confiscated all valuables from the civilians, physically assaulting them with rifles and kicking them, and then transported them to the location known as “Tisovac”. There, the civilians were ordered to line up next to a ravine, after which the perpetrators opened fire and killed 23 civilians.

Overly Lenient Sentence for Wartime Sexual Violence

On 12 December 2024, the War Crimes Department of the Higher Court in Belgrade delivered a judgment finding Lazar Mutlak, a member of the “Podkamen” Company of the Territorial Defence Srpsko Goražde, guilty of committing a war crime against the civilian population – raping a Bosniak woman under the threat of a gun on 25 May 1992, in the village of Lozje (municipality of Goražde, Bosnia and Herzegovina). Mutlak was sentenced to seven years of imprisonment.

The Humanitarian Law Center considers that the sentence is overly lenient and that the court gave excessive weight to mitigating circumstances, especially given the nature of the sexual violence, which, as established, left lasting consequences for the victim. Although the court conducted the proceedings efficiently, with the main hearing starting on 13 April 2023, the verdict does not provide adequate satisfaction for the victim, who had waited for justice for over three decades.

#weremember: Camps for Croats in Serbia

Between September 1991 and August 1992, several camps and transit centers existed on the territory of Serbia for captured fighters and civilians from Croatia. In these facilities, detainees were subjected to daily psychological and physical abuse.

The Humanitarian Law Center (HLC) recalls that on this day 33 years ago, Croatian forces and civilians were detained and taken to the camp at the “Livade” farm in the village of Stajićevo near Zrenjanin (Serbia), which was established by the Yugoslav People’s Army (JNA). This occurred after the JNA, the Serbian Territorial Defense (TO) of Vukovar, and paramilitary units from Serbia captured Vukovar on November 18, 1991. Besides Stajićevo, detainees were sent to camps in Sremska Mitrovica, Aleksinac, and Niš, as well as to the Military Investigative Prison in Belgrade and the camp in Begejci, which had been operational since September. All those camps except the one in Niš, which was under the responsibility of the JNA’s 3^rd Military District, were under the jurisdiction of the 1^st Military District. The camps were guarded by members of the JNA Military Police.

#WeRemember: The Killing of Prisoners of War at Ovčara

This Wednesday, November 20, 2024, the Humanitarian Law Center (HLC) commemorates the victims of the crime committed at the Ovčara farm near Vukovar. On this day 33 years ago, members of the local Territorial Defense (TO) and Serbian volunteers under the command of the Yugoslav People’s Army (JNA) killed 265 Croatian civilians and prisoners of war.

As soon as they took control of Vukovar on November 20, 1991, members of the JNA removed the wounded, the sick, civilians, and members of the Croatian armed forces from the Vukovar hospital and transported them to the hangars at the Ovčara farm, located about five kilometers southeast of Vukovar. In the presence of members of the JNA Military Police, the Croatians detained at Ovčara were beaten, abused, and humiliated by members of the Vukovar TO and the “Leva Supoderica” paramilitary unit. In the evening, on the orders of Colonel Mile Mrkšić, JNA troops withdrew from Ovčara, leaving the detainees at the mercy of the Vukovar TO and the “Leva Supoderica” unit. During the night of November 20/21, 1991, the detainees were taken from the hangar in groups of 10 to 20 people to the Grabovo site, where they were executed in front of a pre-dug mass grave. The victims killed at Ovčara included wounded members of the Croatian armed forces, as well as civilians, including two women and three minors: Ružica Markobašić (32), who was heavily pregnant at the time, Janja Podhorski (60), Dragutin Balog (17), Igor Kačić (16), and Tomislav Baumgertner (17).