Marking 29 years since Operation “Storm” – the Political Abuse of Remembrance

Marking 29 years since Operation “Storm” – the Political Abuse of Remembrance

Saopštenje Rezolucija - 3On the occasion of marking the 29th anniversary of the military-police operation “Storm”, during and after which Croatian forces committed widespread and systematic crimes against the Serbian civilian population and their property, the Humanitarian Law Center reiterates its longstanding demand that the authorities and institutions in Serbia grant the victims the status of civilian war victims, and that they cease their political abuse of the memory of those who perished.

None of the victims of Operation “Storm” living in Serbia can yet exercise their rights, as the current legal framework not only fails to meet the needs of the victims, but also discriminates against those whose injuries occurred outside the territory of Serbia. This leaves civilian invalids and the families of the victims of Operation “Storm” without financial, health, or psychosocial support from any of the relevant institutions.


Second day of XVI Forum for Transitional Justice in Post-Yugoslav Countries

Second day of XVI Forum for Transitional Justice in Post-Yugoslav Countries

Drugi_dan_XVI_ForumaThe Humanitarian Law Center and Humanitarian Law Center Kosovo, as part of the REKOM Reconciliation Network, held the second day of the ‘Forum for Transitional Justice in Post-Yugoslav Countries’ at the Hotel International Prishtina on Sunday, which featured a series of panels and a visit to the Bogujevci and Duriqi families and the final resting places of the victims of the Podujevo Massacre.

The XVI Forum on Transitional Justice also featured the official promotion of the second volume of the Kosovo Memory Book, ‘Dignity for the Missing’ (1998-2000).


XVI Forum for Transitional Justice in Post-Yugoslav Countries

XVI Forum for Transitional Justice in Post-Yugoslav Countries

XVI-ForumThe Humanitarian Law Center and Humanitarian Law Center Kosovo, as part of the REKOM Reconciliation Network, launched the ‘XVI Forum for Transitional Justice in Post-Yugoslav Countries’ at the Hotel International Prishtina on Saturday, which featured a series of panels and the official promotion of the second edition of the Kosovo Memory Book, ‘Dignity for the Missing’ (1998-2000).

The second edition of the Kosovo Memory Book (1998-2000) offers an insight into the diverse and painful circumstances of those who went missing during the conflict in the country, featuring individuals who were pulled out of their homes and out of their fields, taken out of refugee columns exiting the country, and feature disabled or incapacitated individuals and over 70 minors and over 200 individuals over the age of 70.


Report from the Debate: “ReConstruction of Responsibility – Societal Memory of Genocide”

Report from the Debate: “ReConstruction of Responsibility – Societal Memory of Genocide”

Javna debata slika - 4On the occasion of marking the 29 years since the Srebrenica genocide, the Humanitarian Law Center organised a public debate on July 10, 2024, titled “ReConstruction of Responsibility – Social Memory of Genocide”. The aim of the debate was to stimulate critical reflection on the political discourse constructed around the genocide, in which the nation becomes a defensive mechanism that avoids and prevents discussion about responsibility.

The debate featured presentations by Marija Mandić, a linguist and senior research associate at the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory; Milan St. Protić, a historian and diplomat; and Srđan Milošević, a lawyer and historian. They spoke about how we talk about Srebrenica today, the relationship between responsibility and guilt, and the role of the nation in the official narrative.

Jovana Kolarić, coordinator and researcher at HLC, moderated the debate, and opened it by presenting court-established facts about the legal qualification of the Srebrenica genocide through final judgments of international courts. She mentioned that the Office of War Crimes Prosecutor, in its 20 years of existence, has filed only five indictments for crimes committed in July 1995 related to Srebrenica. None of these indictments mention genocide, and in three of them, Srebrenica is not mentioned at all. However, although these facts are rarely discussed in Serbia except when they are denied, Srebrenica is still talked about.


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