Judging with impunity: The role of prosecutors and judges in show trials of Kosovo Albanians in the period 1998-2000

Judging with impunity: The role of prosecutors and judges in show trials of Kosovo Albanians in the period 1998-2000

montirani_procesi_protiv_K_A-enAround the end of 1996 and the beginning of 1997, the offices of district public prosecutors began  indicting Kosovo Albanians en masse, pursuant to Article 125 of the CCY (with reference to terrorism) and Article 136, paragraphs 1 and 2 of the CCY (with reference to association for the purpose of conducting hostile activities). The trials for the above-cited charges were conducted by district courts in Kosovo during 1998 and 1999, more specifically until 9 June 1999 when the Kumanovo Agreement was signed and the army and police began their withdrawal from the territory of Kosovo.

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Action Plan for Chapter 23 and the National Strategy for the Prosecution of War Crimes – dead letters

Action Plan for Chapter 23 and the National Strategy for the Prosecution of War Crimes – dead letters

ministarstvo_pravdeMore than a year after the adoption of the  Action Plan for Chapter 23 (Action Plan), the provisions of this document relating to the prosecution of war crimes are being carried out superficially, for merely ”cosmetic” purposes, and many of the prescribed activities are not being carried out at all. The situation is the same when it comes to the implementation of the National Strategy for the Prosecution of War Crimes (National Strategy). It must therefore be said that the state authorities responsible for the implementation of the above provisions of the Action Plan and  National Strategy are falsely informing the public about their work, and continually making it difficult for the civil society to access relevant information and monitor their work. The Humanitarian Law Center (HLC) believes that such behaviour is contrary to the obligations of the accession negotiations with the EU, and is an indicator of Serbia’s lack of commitment to the reform process, as well as sincere effort to prosecute war crimes more efficiently.

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State obstructing War Crimes Trials

State obstructing War Crimes Trials

Drzavna_opstrukcija_sudjenja_za_ratne_zlocine

The Court of Appeals in Belgrade has dismissed (available in Serbian) the indictment filed against eight members of a Special Brigade of the Republic of Srpska Ministry of the Interior, accused of killing 1,313 civilians from Srebrenica in the Kravice hangar on July 14th, 1995 (Srebrenica – Kravica Case), with the explanation that the indictment was not filed by an authorized prosecutor. The Humanitarian Law Center thinks such a decision represents an inadmissible failure of the local judiciary, which will further jeopardize the process of war crimes trials, already deemed to be too slow.

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Invitation to Attend Presentation of Report „Judging with impunity: The role of prosecutors and judges in show trials of Kosovo Albanians in the period 1998-2000 “

Invitation to Attend Presentation of Report  „Judging with impunity: The role of prosecutors and judges in show trials of Kosovo Albanians in the period 1998-2000 “

Suditi-nekaznjeno-enThe Humanitarian Law Center will present the Report titled Judging with impunity: The role of prosecutors and judges in show trials of Kosovo Albanians in the period 1998-2000“, on Tuesday, July 25th, 2017. The presentation will take place in the Great Hall of the Media Center in Belgrade (Terazije nr. 3, II floor) at 11:00.

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