Journal of the Regional School for Transitional Justice #2

The selected papers written by the second generation students of the Regional School for Transitional Justice have been gathered in the second issue of the Journal of Papers. The students’ papers have been grouped according to the main Transitional Justice topics– from analyses of war crimes trials, victims’ rights to reparation, and the role of the media in the reconciliation process, to analyses of current endeavours aimed at the acknowledgement of the right to truth about the crimes committed in the past.

Dossier: Rudnica

At the time of the publication of this Dossier (January 2015), the mortal remains of 52 people were exhumed from Rudnica and identified. DNA analysis conducted on the remains has shown that they belong to Kosovo Albanians killed during the Kosovo conflict in 1999. According to a representative of the Commission on Missing Persons of the Government of the Republic of Serbia, search of the Rudnica site will continue if the relevant institutions come up with new data.

(srpski) Politički diskursi o domaćim suđenjima za ratne zločine u Srbiji, 2003-2013.

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(srpski) Medijski diskursi o suđenjima za ratne zločine u Srbiji, 2003-2013.

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Analysis of the Prosecution of War Crimes in Serbia 2004-2013

The Analysis contains 15 chapters that portray the work of key institutions in the prosecution of war crimes, putting forward the issues important for the credibility of war crimes trials in Serbia, such as the compliance of indictments and convictions in domestic cases, with the facts established by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). The Analysis concludes with 75 recommendations to state bodies of the Republic of Serbia and international stakeholders on how to improve almost all aspects of the prosecution of war crimes in Serbia.

You can download the Analysis of the Prosecution of War Crimes in Serbia 2004-2013 here.

Report on War Crimes Trials in Serbia in 2013

The Report on War Crimes Trials in 2013 is based on the monitoring and analysis of war crimes trials before the Higher Court in Belgrade, Court of Appeal in Belgrade and the courts of general jurisdiction in Nis, Pozarevac and Prokuplje.

You can download the Report on War Crime Trials in Serbia in 2013 here.

“Transitional Justice in Serbia’s EU Accession Process”: presentation of the analysis of the compliance with the EU acquis communautaire within Chapter 23 – Judiciary and Fundamental Rights, in the areas of war crimes and fundamental rights.

“Transitional Justice in Serbia’s EU Accession Process” analysis shows policies and financial instruments used by the EU to recommend and advocate for the justice for crimes in the past, the EU regulations containing principles of transitional justice that the acceding countries have to comply with prior to the EU accession, the current compliance of the Republic of Serbia’s legislation with these regulations, and recommendations for further harmonization.

Regional Transitional Justice School Journal

The Regional Transitional Justice School Journal is a product of the Regional School for Transitional Justice, organised by the Humanitarian Law Center (HLC), the Lawyers’ Association from Sarajevo and  HLC Kosovo, with the support of the British Embassy in Belgrade.

Dossier on “125th Motorized Brigade of the Yugoslav Army”

The Dossier presents the operation of this Yugoslav Army unit during the war in Kosovo and the crimes committed in  this unit’s zone of responsibility, where 1,813 Kosovo Albanian civilians were killed, 216 of whom are still registered as missing. None of the perpetrators of these war crimes have been prosecuted to date.

Administrative reparations in Serbia – an analysis of the existing legal framework

The wars in the former Yugoslavia during the nineteen-nineties left behind a difficult legacy of mass atrocities committed in the countries formed on the territory of the former Yugoslavia. Around 130,000 people lost their lives, more than 12,000 are still missing and tens of thousands of victims suffered torture and sexual violence. All this is just a part of the horrific outcome of these wars. After a decade of destruction and the collapse of the rule of law that unleashed the violence and systematic violations of fundamental human rights, these countries still face the challenges of consolidating their legal systems, and building democratic institutions which will adopt a responsible attitude towards the violent past and foster a culture of human rights.

Complete analysis of the existing legal framework can be downloaded here.