An intergovernmental conference of representatives of EU member states and Serbia was held in Brussels on 18 July 2016, marking the opening of Chapter 23 (Judiciary and fundamental rights) and Chapter 24 (Justice, freedom and security) within the negotiations for Serbian accession to the EU. The Humanitarian Law Center (HLC) welcomes this step in the European integration of Serbia, but also points out that the institutions of Serbia still have a lot of work to do in applying the mechanisms of transitional justice and dealing with the legacy of the recent past.
Case analysis: Republic of Serbia exempt from any responsibility for the crime against the inhabitants of Sjeverin
The Constitutional Court of Serbia has rejected an appeal made by the family members of sixteen Serbian citizens of Bosniak nationality from the village of Sjeverin, near Priboj, who were kidnapped and murdered on 22nd October 1992 by members of the Bosnian Serb unit called “Avengers” (Osvetnici). With this decision, the Republic of Serbia has put an end to requests by family members of the victims to be paid compensation. By acting in this way, Serbia has underlined its denial of responsibility for this crime. The Humanitarian Law Center (HLC), which has represented the victims’ family members from Sjeverin in these proceedings, will address the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg on their behalf.
Seventeen years ago, the Bytyqi brothers from New York were murdered and dumped in a mass grave by Serbian special forces. Today, Serbia’s leaders continue to deny closure and justice to the victims and their families.
On the occasion of marking the 21st anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide, the Humanitarian Law Center (HLC) organized a debate dedicated to the victims of the Srebrenica genocide. The panellists Nidžara Ahmetašević, Ivica Đikić, Florence Hartmann and Dejan Anastasijević discussed before a hall full of people at the Centre for Cultural Decontamination, the responsibility for the killing of several thousands of people in and around Srebrenica during July 1995, and the years’ long struggles of victims of this crime for the truth and its acknowledgement.
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The speech of a future President of Serbia at one of the future events organized to mark the anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide in Potočari.
