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In 2008 HLC focused on engaging as large a number of nongovernmental organizations as possible, victims’ families associations, and other societal groups in a regional debate on investigating and disclosing the facts about war crimes and serious violations of human rights committed in the past. In doing that, HLC advocates the creation of a regional coalition.... >>
Based on the research conducted HLC-Kosovo considers the security situation in North Mitrovica/Mitrovicë volatile.... >>
In the period following the toppling of Slobodan Milošević, the transitional government supported domestic war crimes trials, but it soon became clear that serious impediments existed. Police was not willing to share its data on war crimes perpetrators with prosecutors, primarily because most of them belonged to the police.... >>
Every government assumes political responsibility for the deeds and misdeeds of its
predecessor, and every nation for the deeds and misdeeds of the past.
Hannah Arendt, ''Eichmann in Jerusalem''
Justice and Institutional Reform
 
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Vision
Confronted with authorities who are reluctant to face the past, HLC is engaging them with facts, and spurring their action to fulfil the rights of victims to justice and reparation. HLC presses for reformed, responsible institutions capable of combatingimpunity through establishing accountability for past abuses.

Activities
The Justice and Institutional Reform programme unit encompasses HLC war crimes trials support, vetting and reparation initiatives. HLC shares its wealth of information to support ongoing war crimes trials, and encourages new prosecutions. In Serbian war crimes cases, HLC represents the victims and provides counselling to victimwitnesses; many witnesses hesitant to testify in Serbian courts have only done so because HLC was trusted and ready to encourage and assist. HLC vetting initiatives aim to remove from government positions those high-ranking officials, who were involved in decision-making, planning or execution of war crimes. HLC reparation initiatives aim to encourage the victims to request the state to fulfil its obligations towards them through punishing perpetrators and various means of reparation, including monetary compensation. In coordination with partners in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia, HLC has monitored national war crimes trials in the region to scrutinise standards, compare experiences, and gain new information on wartime atrocities.

HLC is the only organisation producing ICTY trial transcripts in B/C/S. So far it has produced B/C/S transcripts for the Milosevic and Vasiljevic cases.

Achievements
9 Serbian war crimes trials in which HLC represented over 2,000 victims of war crimes
9 Serbian war crimes trials in which HLC secured the participation of 39 victim-witnesses
6 victims of the Scorpions crime were identified by HLC
9 Serbian war crimes trials in which HLC brought 125 victims and their families to see justice done
60 HLC-produced witness statements provided to the Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbian War Crimes Chamber in cases Đurković and Suva Reka
450 HLC-produced ICTY trial transcripts in B/C/S provided to the Bosnia and Herzegovina’s war crimes chambers
2 functionaries of the Ministry of Interior of Serbia removed from their positions as a result of HLC vetting initiatives
115 reparation claims for 715 people forcibly conscripted refugees represented in court
33 regional war-crimes trials monitored
94 torture victims represented in court

Future
With growth, HLC would have a greater ability to influence Serbian institutions, and encourage them to re-establish the rule of law through justice for the victims and confirming the criminal responsibility of perpetrators of war crimes.

War crimes trial support: HLC would like to increase its ability to provide information and evidence on crimes, victims and perpetrators to the national war crimes chambers and prosecutor’s offices in the region, and to present the information to the public in the event that the Prosecutor does not act on new cases. In the case of Serbia, should inaction persist, HLC could then initiate prosecutions as provided for in Serbian law. HLC would also like to increase its ability to represent victim-witnesses in war crimes proceedings in Serbia. The organisation’s trial monitoring programme, implemented together with regional partners, could increase with an anticipated increase in war crimes trials in the region. The trial monitoring programme could also increase impartiality and co-operation between national prosecutor’s offices and police investigators.

Repository for ICTY and national war crimes trial records: With continued investigations and collections, HLC will possess an expanded archive of primary documents, including an extensive a collection of trial records from the ICTY as possible. These will include HLC-created trial transcripts in B/C/S, witness statements, other documents – and possibly physical evidence in connection with conflicts in the former Yugoslavia – submitted into evidence. Likewise, HLC would like to serve as a repository for trial records from war crimes trials in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro and Serbia. Beyond its own documents, court documents, and those collected from other international institutions, HLC will preserve and ensure free access to records from other human rights NGOs in order to prevent their destruction. All documentation will be sorted, organised, catalogued, digitised, and stored in accordance with international archival standards. HLC has published the transcript of the trial of Slobodan Milosevic in B/C/S languages in 45 volumes.

Vetting: HLC would like to use its expanded database to draw the attention of the authorities and the public to persons who hold, or are being nominated for public office about whom HLC possesses information that indicates their involvement in serious breaches of human rights. This could be accomplished in two ways. HLC would request public release of information on all appointees to public office and cross-check the names against its database. If any names on the list match names of alleged perpetrators, then HLC investigators could work to verify that the appointee is the same person in the database. This information could be made available to authorities and the public – to prevent the appointment from going forward, and to create pressure for removal from office and prosecution. HLC would also compile from its database an annual list of alleged war crimes perpetrators, and submit this list to the authorities with a specific request for information on whether anyone on the list is employed by the Defence or Interior Ministries, or other institutions. If the request is refused, HLC could publicly advocate a response and release the list to the public.

Reparation initiatives: HLC already provides legal representation to victims of past human rights abuses exerting their right to reparation through compensation. The victims exercise these rights through compensation claim suits where they are represented by HLC lawyers. The organisation would like to increase this support, drawing on HLC’s existing attorneys who are experienced in human rights cases.