(srpski) Sećanje na stradanje Bošnjaka u logorima Šljivovica i Mitrovo Polje
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Sorry, this entry is only available in srpski.
Dear Mr. Prime Minister,
We write to you with regard to the decision recently taken by the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Policy (hereinafter referred to as the Ministry) to revoke the status of civilian victims of war for a number of victims of serious human rights violations committed outside the territory of the Republic of Serbia, and for members of their families. The decision of the Ministry was preceded by the letter sent by the Humanitarian Law Center (HLC) to the municipal authorities in Priboj with the request to grant the status of victims’ family members to family members of the victims of the war crime committed in Sjeverin (the Municipality of Priboj), pursuant to the Law on Civilian Victims of War (Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia 52/96). These are the families of 16 Bosniaks from Sjeverin, who were kidnapped in October 1992 in the place known as Mioče (BiH) while travelling to work in Priboj. They were kidnapped and subsequently murdered by the notorious Bosnian Serb unit known as the “Avengers”, under the command of Milan Lukić. The bodies of 15 of these victims have not yet been found.
The First Basic Court in Belgrade rendered a judgment ordering the Republic of Serbia to pay compensation to the amount of 150,000 RSD each, to three Kosovo Albanians on account of its responsibility for the abuse and inhumane treatment these victims experienced by members of the Serbian Ministry of the Interior (MoI) during their unlawful detention in 1999 and 2000. The Humanitarian Law Center (HLC) stresses that by granting petty compensation amounts in these cases, the courts in Serbia are trying to minimize the atrocities committed during the 1990’s against victims of serious violations of human rights for which representatives of state bodies bear responsibility.
The First Basic Court in Belgrade rendered a judgment ordering the Republic of Serbia to pay compensation to the amount of 150,000 RSD each, to three Kosovo Albanians on account of its responsibility for the abuse and inhumane treatment these victims experienced by members of the Serbian Ministry of the Interior (MoI) during their unlawful detention in 1999 and 2000. The Humanitarian Law Center (HLC) stresses that by granting petty compensation amounts in these cases, the courts in Serbia are trying to minimize the atrocities committed during the 1990’s against victims of serious violations of human rights for which representatives of state bodies bear responsibility.
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.
On Wednesday, June 13th, 2013, the Humanitarian Law Center (HLC) presented its report on material reparation for the year 2012, titled “Fulfilling the Right for Victims of Human Rights to Seek Reparation Before Serbian Courts – Serving Justice or Trivializing Crimes”. Tanja Drobnjak, an HLC attorney, who represents victims in lawsuits against the state of Serbia, Petar Žmak, Reparation Project Coordinator at the HLC, Dr. Saša Gajin from the Faculty of Law at Union University, and Senad Jusufbegović, a former prisoner at the Šljivovica and Mitovo Polje camps, spoke at the conference. Sandra Orlović, the Executive Director of the HLC, was the Moderator.
This Report offers a review of 15 cases in which HLC represented victims and which resulted in court decisions in 2012. There were a total of 18 judgments, 12 of which were negative and six positive, which awarded a total of RSD 1.76 million to victims of human rights abuses.
On Tuesday, June 4th, 2013, Nazmi Spahiu and Behxet Rrmoku, both victims of torture and unlawful detention, gave statements in the compensation lawsuit initiated by the Humanitarian Law Center (HLC) in April 2010 against the Republic of Serbia on account of the state’s responsibility for their torture in unlawful detention during 1999 and 2000. Nazmi Spahiu and Behxhet Rrmoku testified about the arrest and torture they experienced in prison, as well as about the consequences of the torture, from which they still suffer, and the long medical treatment they have had to undergo.
On Thursday 30 May 2013, Agim and Sadik Limani from Glogovac/Gllogoc testified before the First Basic Court in Belgrade, in a case brought on their behalf by the Humanitarian Law Center (HLC) in April 2010 against the Republic of Serbia, seeking compensation for the torture they experienced in 1999 and 2000 while in unlawful detention. Agim and Sadik Limani testified about the torture they endured in Serbian prisons in 1999 and 2000 and the mental after-effects from which they still suffer.
The Court of Appeals in Belgrade has affirmed the judgment of the First Basic Court ordering the Republic of Serbia to pay a total of 1.3 million RSD to Kosovo Albanians Tahir Bytyqi, Smajl Gashi, Rrahman Elshani, Hysni Podrimçaku and Bekim Istogu, in compensation for the torture they were subjected to by members of the Serbian Ministry of the Interior (MUP) during their unlawful detention in 1999 and 2000. While being one of the few final judgements that have recognised the right to compensation of victims of the Serbian security forces, the HLC considers that the sums awarded to each of the victims – 200,000 or 300,000 RSD – do not contribute to ensuring justice for misdeeds committed during the 1990s.