Natasha Kandiq, founder of the Humanitarian Law Center, has accused Serbia of remaining silent about facts established in court and distorting them, both in relation to war crimes in Kosovo and the genocide in Srebrenica.
In a post on X, she criticized the way Serbian institutions and society deal with the past. According to Kandiq, court rulings are being displaced by what is called “the people’s truth.”
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Kandiq cited a statement by the European Union’s ambassador to Serbia, Andreas von Beckerath, who had warned that glorifying people convicted of war crimes runs counter to European values.
She said the EU representative should also have expressed concern about the silence surrounding judgments and facts confirmed by international courts. In her view, the distortion of the past is particularly evident when it comes to the genocide in Srebrenica and the victims of the war in Kosovo.
Coming to terms with the past, Kandiq stressed, requires respect for court rulings and an end to practices that deny or downplay documented crimes.
Kandiq calls for independence of Serbia’s War Crimes Prosecutor’s Office
Kandiq recalled that the Humanitarian Law Center has an extensive database of victims of the war in Kosovo. It documents the fate of each victim, regardless of ethnicity.
According to her, the Center holds court documents, testimony from relatives and witnesses, and video recordings of testimony presented before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.
Kandiq said Serbia’s War Crimes Prosecutor’s Office could use this documentation if it operates independently and bases its investigations on evidence rather than political instructions. She added that the EU’s demand for an independent judiciary should also apply to the prosecution of war crimes.
Warning against the political use of the past
Kandiq called on the European Union to provide political and financial support to involve young people in researching the wars of the 1990s.
She said students and graduates should have the opportunity to examine documents, analyze testimony and reach their own conclusions about past events.
According to Kandiq, remembrance policies are being used to deepen national divisions, deny crimes and glorify their perpetrators.
She said independent documentation and respect for facts established in court are necessary for a responsible culture of remembrance and for improving relations among the countries of the region.
