The Serbian government must strengthen measures to
tackle continuing impunity for crimes under international law – war
crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide – committed by Serbian
police, military and paramilitary forces during the wars of the
1990s, Amnesty International said today.
Amnesty International’s report, Serbia: Ending
Impunity for Crimes under International Law, published today in
Serbian, analyses the problems within the prosecutorial and judicial
system in Serbia, and identifies a number of obstacles and
institutional barriers to the thorough, impartial and effective
investigation and prosecution of crimes under international law.
“The next few years are crucial in tackling the
climate of impunity in Serbia. Time is passing, witnesses are dying,
memories are fading. Perpetrators of war crimes must urgently be
tried to ensure victims receive justice before it is too late,” said
John Dalhuisen, Europe and Central Asia Programme Director at
Amnesty International.
“The process of Serbia’s accession to the European
Union 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 crimes.
Impunity for crimes under international law should be a crucial
element in satisfying the criteria on the judicial system and
fundamental rights.”
Ten years after the opening of a Special War
Crimes Court in the capital Belgrade, only 160 or so perpetrators
have been tried for the crimes under international law which took
place across the region during the wars of the 1990s.
Thousands of victims – across Bosnia and
Herzegovina, Croatia and Kosovo - have been denied access to
justice. Few victims have received any reparation or compensation
for the violations they endured. The relatives of the disappeared
are still waiting to find out who was responsible for the deaths of
their loved ones; women and girls who suffered war crimes of sexual
violence still wait for the perpetrator to be brought to justice.
Since the report was published in English last
June, Amnesty International’s concerns have been reflected by the
European Commission in their October 2014 Progress Report on Serbia,
with respect to the failure to investigate high-ranking military and
police officials, the lack of effective witness protection and
witness support, and the lack of access to reparation, including
compensation for the majority of victims of war crimes.
However, there have also been signs of progress,
for example in the reopening in September of investigations on
Ministry of Interior land at Batajnica, where the bodies of ethnic
Albanians were buried in 1999, and the creation of opportunities to
address the failing witness protection unit with the dismissal of
the head of the unit in June.
‘”Progress will only be achieved with a commitment
by the Serbian government to implement concrete measures to ensure
justice for all. The government must also demonstrate the political
will to end the climate of impunity in Serbia,’’ said John
Dalhuisen.
Amnesty International proposes a series of
measures to be taken by the Serbian government including: providing
sufficient staff and resources to the Office of the War Crimes
Prosecutor; creating an effective Police War Crimes Investigation
Unit; ensuring adequate witness support, including specialised
support for the survivors of war crimes of sexual violence; and
ending intimidation of witnesses protected by the Witness Protection
unit. The report also highlights the lack of an effective
administrative system to ensure the right of victims to reparation,
including compensation. |