Serbia: EU accession is key to ending impunity for war crimes

The European Union (EU) must do everything it can to ensure Serbia addresses the culture of impunity for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide, committed by Serbian police, military and paramilitary forces during the wars of the 1990s, said Amnesty International in a new
report published today.

“The process of Serbia’s accession to the EU is a unique opportunity to address the shortcomings in the legal system, and ensure that over the next few years, Serbia has the tools and resources to investigate and prosecute these heinous crimes.”

The new report is published in advance of accession negotiations on human rights commitments, which Serbia will be required to implement before joining the EU. It analyses the problems within the prosecutorial and judicial system, and identifies a number of obstacles and institutional barriers to the thorough, impartial and effective investigation and prosecution of crimes under international law.

Amnesty International is calling on the European Commission to use the current accession negotiations to push Serbia to adopt a series of concrete measures which would end impunity for war crimes.  Amnesty International considers that addressing impunity for crimes under international law must be a crucial element in satisfying the accession criteria.