Transitional Justice Seminar for future opinion leaders and decision makers

OSCE Mission to Serbia launched the first in a series of seminars for Serbian youth on transitional justice. A total of 26 political party youth activists, including two MPs, university students, journalists, and civil society representatives from across Serbia learned from domestic and regional experts about the transitional justice mechanisms, and their relevance for regional reconciliation and stability and advancement of the rule of law. The event was an activity implemented within the framework of the multi-partner project Facility Supporting Strengthening Rule of Law in the Republic of Serbia, financed by the EU, German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and development (BMZ) and Austrian Development Cooperation (ADC), whose implementation is in charge of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, ADA, CPMA and OSCE Mission to Serbia.

The transitional justice seminar was organised in Kragujevac, in period 4 - 8 September 2022 and comprised interactive lectures on transitional justice mechanisms, the work and legacy of the UN International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and its successor, the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT), as well as on domestic war crimes processing. In addition, the participants had an opportunity to watch relevant documentaries on these topics. In that regard, in co-operation with the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Mission arranged the screening of the documentary, featuring three war veterans from Maglaj, BiH, former commanders of opposing armies in Maglaj, BiH, during 1992 and 1995, who gave an account of wartime developments and post-war reconciliation.

Throughout multiple sessions, participants of different ethnic groups and national minorities of Serbia, were given the opportunity to engage and discuss, in inter-ethnic dialogue, the issues related to accountability for war crimes, transitional justice and reconciliation. With this activity, the OSCE Mission also continues to expand a network of individuals and activists in Serbia who will promote accountability for war crimes and foster a greater understanding of the Serbian public about the recent past, and ways to address them.