Acquittal in Case Against Samir Hondo

The Trial Chamber of the Higher Court in Belgrade rendered an acquittal on November 22^nd, 2013, in the case of Samir Hondo, indicted for war crimes against the civilian population in the Čelebići Camp, near Konjic (Bosnia and Herzegovina). The Humanitarian Law Center (HLC) stresses that the court rendered a correct ruling, because the Office of the War Crimes Prosecutor (OWCP) failed to provide credible evidence during the trial which would have pointed to the responsibility of the accused for the crimes he had been charged with.

Officers Indicted of Crimes Against Civilians in Trnje Should Be Suspended from Serbian Army

The Humanitarian Law Center (HLC) demands that the Chief of the General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces, Ljubiša Diković, suspends Pavle Gavrilović and Rajko Kozlina, persons indicted for the crime in Trnje committed against Kosovo Albanians on March 25^th, 1999, from the Serbian Armed Forces, until the completion of the proceedings.

Request to the Republic of Serbia to enable CSOs to access the documents on the contents of laws

The Coalition for Access to Justice requires that the Republic of Serbia immediately allows the civil society organizations (CSOs) to access the documents related to the contents of laws prepared to be adopted. In line with the strategic orientation of the Republic of Serbia, CSOs should have a key role in the legislative reforms and other aspects of the process of joining the European Union.

Family Members of Victims of War Crime from Sjeverin Seek Justice before Constitutional Court

The Humanitarian Law Center (HLC) filed another appeal with the Constitutional Court of Serbia in the Sjeverin case. Namely, the HLC filed a constitutional appeal on behalf of 20 family members of war crime victims from Sjeverin against the ruling of the Court of Appeals in Belgrade, in which their claims for compensation of non-material damages against the Republic of Serbia were dismissed.

Courts in Serbia Continue Practice of Granting Low Compensation Amounts to Victims of Crimes Committed During 1990’s

The Humanitarian Law Center (HLC) filed a complaint against the verdict rendered by the First Basic Court in Belgrade obliging the Republic of Serbia to pay the amount of 210,000 RSD to Kosovo Albanians, Jahir Krasniqi and Jakup Tahiri, as compensation for being found responsible for the inhumane treatment and torture that these victims were exposed to by members of the Ministry of Interior (MUP) during their unlawful detention in 1999 and 2000. HLC highlights that this is one of the lowest compensation amounts granted by courts in Serbia in cases of serious human rights violations committed during 1990’s thus relativizing the responsibility of the state for crimes for which representatives of institutions of Serbia are found responsible.

Constitutional Court: Right to Fair Trial Violated In Case of Families of Victims from Sjeverin

The Constitutional Court of Serbia established that the right of the family members of the victims of the war crime in Sjeverin to a trial within a reasonable time, in the compensation lawsuit initiated by the Humanitarian Law Center (HLC) on their behalf in 2007 against the Republic of Serbia, was violated. With this ruling, the Constitutional Court of Serbia granted compensation of 600 Euros to each of the 22 applicants.

Criminal Report against Officers and Members of YA and MUP on account of Crime Committed Against 78 Kosovo Albanians

The Humanitarian Law Center (HLC) has filed a criminal complaint against six identified officers and members of the 125^th Motorized Brigade of the Yugoslav Army (125^th YA MtBr), the Commander of the 24^th Detachment of the Special Police Units (SPU), a number of unidentified members of the YA and the 24^th Detachment of the SPU, owing to the reasonable suspicion that they ordered or executed the murder of 78 men – Kosovo Albanians – in the village of Kraljane (the Municipality of Đakovica) on April 4^th, 1999. Among the accused are Dragan Živanović, the then Commander of the 125^th YA MtBr,  Žarko Braković, the then Commander of the 24^th Detachment of the SPU, Đorđe Nikolić, the Chief of Staff of the Command of the 125^th YA MtBr, and Robert Šmajcelj, the Deputy Commander of Combat Group 5 of the 125^th YA MtBr.

Statement on Commemoration of the International Day of the Disappeared

The Humanitarian Law Center (HLC) commemorates the International Day of the Disappeared and calls upon the successor countries of the former Yugoslavia to reinforce their efforts in establishing the fates of all persons who disappeared during or in relation to the wars in the former Yugoslavia, and to improve the legal and social status of the families of victims of enforced disappearance.

Constitutional Appeal against excessive length of proceedings in Sjeverin Case

On 19 August 2013, the Humanitarian Law Center (HLC) lodged an appeal with the Serbian Constitutional Court on behalf of 22 family members of victims of the war crime in Sjeverin, because of violation of their right to trial within a reasonable time. Even though six years have passed since the filing of a compensation lawsuit against the Republic of Serbia in 2007, this case has not yet resulted in a final judgment.

(srpski) Sećanje na stradanje Bošnjaka u logorima Šljivovica i Mitrovo Polje

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