FHP-SS-002 FUND: Court documents, from trials of Serbian citizens for war crimes

PERIOD: 1993 – 2006

PRIMARY SOURCES: County Court in Varaždin, Military Court in Zagreb, Municipal Court in Split, County Courts in Zadar, Karlovci, Osijek, Požega, Split and Šibenik (Croatia), District Court in Murska Subota (Slovenia), Cantonal Court in Sarajevo, District Military Court in Tuzla (Bosnia and Herzegovina), District Court in Banja Luka, Higher Court in Zenica, Municipal Court in Belgrade, Military Court in Novi Sad, Military Court in Niš (Serbia), District Court in Peć, Gnjilane, Priština, Mitrovica (Kosovo), District Court in Novi Pazar, Higher Court in Podgorica, Primary Court in Cetinje (Montenegro).

VOLUME AND MEDIUM:  9 archival boxes

CONTENT:  The Fund contains documents from trials of members of Serb and Croat national communities for war crimes committed on the territory of the former Yugoslavia, which were monitored by researchers and attorneys from the HLC. The trials were conducted on the territory of Serbia, Kosovo, Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Fund covers the period from 1991 to the present. The Fund contains court documents (indictments, verdicts, appeals, decisions, records of examinations of the accused, transcripts of trials, records from witness examinations, official notes, trial reports, memoranda, motions for termination of detention, petitions, certificates, powers of attorney), and newspaper articles and accompanying documents.

ORGANIZATION SYSTEM: boxes are organized geographically in accordance with the location of the court (alphabetically), and each case is organized chronologically (by date)

Additions to the Fund are expected  

LANGUAGES:  Serbian, Croatian, Albanian

LIST OF CONTENTS:

Box no. 1

• Trials of Croats and Serbs for war crimes committed on the territory of the former Yugoslavia. Trials conducted on the territory of Croatia before the District Courts in Varaždin, Vukovar, Zagreb, Zadar, Karlovci, Osijek, Požega, Split and Šibenik. A total of 31 cases.

Box no. 2

• Trials of Croats and Serbs for war crimes committed on the territory of the former Yugoslavia. Trials conducted on the territory of Croatia, Serbia and Kosovo,  before the County Court in Vukovar (Croatia), the Municipal Court in Split (Croatia), the County Court in Zagreb (Croatia), the Supreme Court of Croatia, the District Court in Belgrade (Serbia), the District Court in Gnjilane (Kosovo) and the District Court in Priština (Kosovo). A total of 5 cases.

Box no. 3

• Trial of Dragan Nikolić from Gnjilane, charged with the crime of killing, together with a group of co-perpetrators,  a person of Albanian nationality. The trial was conducted before the District Court in Gnjilane (Kosovo), the District Court in Priština (Kosovo) and the Supreme Court of Kosovo. A total of 1 case (79 documents).

Box no. 4

• Trials of Serbs for war crimes committed on the territory of Kosovo conducted before the District Court in Mitrovica (Kosovo). A total of 4 cases.

Box no. 5

• Trials of Serbs for war crimes committed on the territory of Kosovo conducted before the District Court in Mitrovica, District Court in Peć, District Court in Prizren, and District Court in Priština (Kosovo). A total of 10 cases.

Box no. 6

• Trials of Serbs for war crimes and other criminal offences conducted before the District Court in Belgrade, the Military Court in Belgrade, and the Supreme Military Court (Serbia). A total of 10 cases.

Box no. 7

• Miscellaneous documents (with reference to espionage, disclosure of a military secret, murder, enforced disappearances of soldiers, inappropriate use of weapons issued to soldiers, army desertion, preventing an official  discharge  duties), relating to the Municipal Court in Kragujevac, District Court in Kraljevo, District Court in Leskovac, Military Court in Niš, and Military Court in Novi Sad. A total of 13 cases.

Box no. 8

• Miscellaneous documents (with reference to terrorism, unauthorized possession of weapons, criminal offence of murder, unauthorized crossing of the border, war crimes trial – the  “Yellow Wasps” Case against the accused, Duško and Vojin Vučković). District Court in Smederevo, District Court in Užice, District Court in Požarevac, District Court in Prokuplje, District Court in Sremska Mitrovica, District Court in Šabac. A total of 6 cases.

Box no. 9

• Trials of Serbs for war crimes and other criminal offences conducted before the District Court in Murska Subota (Slovenia), District Court in Novi Pazar (Serbia), Primary Court in Nikšić (Montenegro), Primary Court in Cetinje (Montenegro), District Court in Banja Luka, Higher Court in Zenica, Cantonal Court in Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina), District Military Court in Tuzla, Higher Court in Podgorica (Montenegro). A total of 14 cases.

Box no. 10

• Separate trial of Saša Radak, who (as a member of a volunteer unit within the then Yugoslav Peoples’ Army) in violation of international humanitarian law killed two hundred persons at the Ovčara Farm, thus committing a war crime against prisoners of war. The trial was conducted before the District Court in Belgrade War Crimes Chamber (Serbia). A total of 1 case (9 documents).

Box no. 11

• The trial of Anđelko Kolašinac et al. for a war crime against the civilian population, conducted before the District Court in Prizren (Kosovo). A total of 1 case (34 documents).