“Tomorrow People, Where is Your Past?” Transitional Justice Mechanism and Dealing with Past in Serbia and Croatia
“Tomorrow People, Where is Your Past?” Transitional Justice Mechanism and Dealing with Past in Serbia and Croatia
Author(s): Ana LjubojevićSubject(s): Criminal Law, International Law, Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, Political history, Studies in violence and power, Transformation Period (1990 - 2010), Peace and Conflict Studies
Published by: Udruženje “Pravnik”
Keywords: Dealing with the past; Serbia; Croatia; post-conflict society; transitional justice; war crimes;
Summary/Abstract: Conflicts in Bosnia and Croatia from 1991 to 1995 have left a huge impact on the political and economical systems of successor countries of the former Yugoslavia. At present, almost 15 years after the end of war, society is still intensively trying to deal with the past. Societies in transition from war a ravaged reality to democracy are using various mechanisms of transitional justice, such as war crimes trial, truth commissions, lustration and reparation. In 1993, a UNSC Resolution established the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. The Dayton peace agreement obliged all post-Yugoslav states to collaborate and extradite alleged war criminals. The transfer of cases to domestic Special Courts for war crimes started with back referral and completion strategy. Regional cooperation on some cases highly influenced success of the later ones. The problem of reconciliation as one of the most pressing in post-conflict societies, is made possible only by systematic, persistent, long-lasting confrontation with past in order to create a democratic environment.
Journal: International Journal on Rule of Law, Transitional Justice and Human Rights
- Issue Year: 1/2010
- Issue No: 1
- Page Range: 78-85
- Page Count: 8
- Language: English