Vor Gericht. Die Soldaten der Handschar-Division im Nachkriegsjugoslawien
Standing Trial. The Soldiers of the Handschar Division in Post-War Yugoslavia

Summary/Abstract: This article examines the narratives and penal strategies used by Yugoslav communists in the prosecution of former members of the 13th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS „Handschar“. In contrast to general discussions about Yugoslav war crimes trials, which have portrayed the prosecution’s aims as communist political justice and revenge against former enemies, this article reviews the new Yugoslav rulers’ strategies for integration and peace-building. It illustrates how the „seduced collaborators“ narrative supported the rehabilitation and integration of the partisans’ former enemies into Yugoslav society, but also prevented discussions on individual responsibility during wartime.

• Details
• Contents