Racist Positions of the Court of Appeals in the Judgment in the Skočić Case

The War Crimes Department of the Court of Appeals in Belgrade (Court of Appeals Department) has quashed the judgment rendered by the Higher Court in the Belgrade War Crimes Department (Higher Court Department), by which seven members of “Simo’s Chetnicks”, a paramilitary unit, were found guilty of committing war crime in the village of Skočić (in the Municipality of Zvornik, B&H), and sent the case back for a new trial. The Humanitarian Law Center (HLC) holds that the judgment rendered by the Court of Appeals contains a number of controversial findings, and that the rationale based on racist positions are particularly unacceptable and utterly inappropriate for a court, as well as being highly offensive to the victims.

Presentation of Report on War Crimes Trials in Serbia in 2013, and ensuing Debate

On Tuesday, July 8th 2014, the Humanitarian Law Center (HLC) presented the Report on War Crimes Trials in 2013 and held a debate on the main findings of the report. The report is based on the monitoring of war crimes proceedings carried out before the War Crimes Department of the Higher Court in Belgrade, the War Crimes Department of the Court of Appeal in Belgrade and the courts of general jurisdiction in Požarevac, Niš and Prokuplje.

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.

The belated dismissal of Miloš Perović is insufficient

Miloš Perović, the former Head of the Ministry of the Interior (MUP) Protection Unit for Participants in Criminal Proceedings, was dismissed from this position on Friday June 6th, 2014. He had been holding this position since 2008. The Humanitarian Law Center (HLC) holds that his dismissal, even though late, is significant for the reform of the witness protection system in cases of war crimes, but that it has to be followed by serious reforms of the Unit and the protection system.

Suspended member of Gendarmery accused of war crimes

The Commander of the Gendarmery, Milenko Božović, has suspended Vladan Krstović, a serving officer of this unit, who was indicted by the War Crimes Prosecutor (OWCP) in the Ljubenić case, at the request thereupon submitted by the Humanitarian Law Center (HLC). The HLC points out that the Serbian Army and the Ministry of Defence have declined to remove from active duty Serbian Army (SA) officer Pavle Gavrilović and serviceman Rajko Kozlina, who stand trial for the crime against civilians in the village of Trnje in March 1999.

Anonymization of Judgments in Cases of War Crimes is Illegal

The Commissioner for Information of Public Importance, acting upon the appeal filed by the Humanitarian Law Center (HLC), has found that the practice of anonymization of judgments is in violation of the Law on Free Access to Information of Public Importance and the Law on Personal Data Protection. In his Decision, the Commissioner issued an order to the Higher Court in Belgrade to deliver to the HLC the judgment without illegal anonymization, under the threat of the imposition of a fine.

Zone of (non)responsibility

With the goal to allow the public to learn about the facts and evidence concerning the crimes committed during the Kosovo war, as well as the wars in the former Yugoslavia, the HLC presents the Zone of (non)responsibility – an interactive web presentation of the crimes committed in the areas of responsibility of Serbian armed forces in Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo, for which no one has been held responsible. In addition to the descriptions of the crimes, which are based on witness statements, the website presents excerpts of authentic military documents related to the crimes, as well as the police and military hierarchy of units in whose areas of responsibility these crimes were committed.

On guilty verdict in Bihać crime case

The Higher Court in Belgrade on 4 February 2014 passed a judgment convicting Đuro Tadić of the war crime against civilians committed on 23 September 1992 in the village of Duljci (municipality of Bihać, BiH), and sentenced him to 10 years in prison. The Humanitarian Law Center  (HLC) points out that the judgment is based  on convincing evidence presented at the trial, and that the accountability of Đuro Tadić was proved beyond reasonable doubt, but that the sentence imposed on him is an insult to the victims.

ICTY Appeals Chamber’s Judgment against Vlastimir Đorđević

The Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) today delivered its final guilty verdict against the former Assistant Minister of Internal Affairs of Serbia and Chief of its Public Security Division (RJB) Vlastimir Đorđević, reducing his sentence to 18 years of prison, instead of 27 years as initially imposed.

Anatomy of Serbian institutions’ responsibility for crimes against Kosovo Albanians

The Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) today passed a judgment confirming the conviction of four high-ranking government, military and police officials of the former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) and Serbia – Nikola Šainović, Nebojša Pavković, Sreten Lukić and Vladimir Lazarević – for deportation, forcible displacement, killing, sexual assaults, persecution on political and racial grounds and other crimes against civilians (Kosovo Albanians) committed between March and May 1999. Šainović, Lukić and Lazarević had their sentences marginally reduced.