The facts about the Srebrenica genocide and its legal characterization have been determined beyond reasonable doubt by the judgments of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals.
The report “Normalization of Relations between Belgrade and Pristina and Access to Justice: Exercising Citizens’ Rights before Judicial Institutions in accordance with Established Agreements and the Issue of Mutual
Recognition of Documents” is the result of research conducted by the Lawyers’ Committee for Human Rights – YUCOM between September 2023 and March 2024. Covering the period from November 2022 to March 2024, the Report provides relevant information on the current situation regarding access to justice for citizens living in the territory of Kosovo1, with a particular focus on the actions of the institutions of the Republic of Serbia and citizens’ engagement with them.The report “Normalization of Relations between Belgrade and Pristina and Access to Justice: Exercising Citizens’ Rights before Judicial Institutions in accordance with Established Agreements and the Issue of Mutual Recognition of Documents” is the result of research conducted by the Lawyers’ Committee for Human Rights – YUCOM between September 2023 and March 2024.
On the occasion of the recent violence by the police against citizens protesting at the City Hall on Sunday, December 24th, 2023, the Lawyers’ Committee for Human Rights – YUCOM is highlighting concern about the excessive use of force by police officers. This disproportionate use of force evident in multiple videos circulating on social media and in the news overtly violates citizens’ fundamental rights to freedom, security, and peaceful assembly.
The journey towards legal recognition of same-sex partnerships in Serbia has been ongoing for years. The National Strategy for the Prevention of Discrimination (2013-2018) highlighted the need for a law on samesex partnerships, yet it took until February 2021 for the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue to initiate a draft. Despite the established consensus of the CSOs and the executive government, the further adoption of the law was stopped.
Civil society organisations in Kosovo and Serbia reiterated their commitment to actively working towards the normalisation of relations throughout the entire region. They call for the building of ties in accordance with the terms and spirit of Article 6 of the recent roadmap on normalisation, through which the parties have agreed to deepen cooperation in a variety of areas.
Milan Filipović from YUCOM, scholarship holder and civil society representative, actively participated in the first meeting of the MASTER CLASS “Regulating artificial intelligence: legal and ethical challenge”. This event brought together AI and regulatory experts to discuss key aspects of AI regulation. Participants also discussed the future of artificial intelligence and how to deal with the legal and ethical issues that arise with the increasingly widespread use of this technology.
Jovana Spremo, Advocacy Director at YUCOM, spoke at the round table “Process ofEuropean integration and policy towards minorities” organized by the Forum10 initiative from Novi Pazar. As part of the discussion, which was attended by representatives of independent institutions, national councils of nationalminorities and civil society, Jovana presented the current state of progress within Chapter 23, which concerns the protection and position of nationalminorities. She particularly emphasized how the process of Serbia’s accession to the EU can be used to improve the position of minority communities, as well as to encourage an environment for acceptance of diversity, reduction of hate speech and more meaningful and comprehensive integration.
Milan Filipović, Director of Research at YUCOM, participated in a thought-provoking panel discussion at the Belgrade Security Conference organized by our colleagues from the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy (BCSP). This year’s theme: “Reconstruction of Global (Dis)Order” couldn’t be more relevant.
Milan Filipović, Research Director at YUCOM, participated in the Regional Conference on Media Freedom, Access to Information and Safety of Journalists, which took place on September 15 in the UN building, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The conference brought together distinguished experts, journalists, and civil society representatives to discuss key issues concerning media freedom, the protection of journalists, the suppression of hate speech on the Internet, and the improvement of the safety of female journalists.
USAID Justice for All is a five-year activity designed to help the Government of Serbia solve people’s legal problems and satisfy their justice needs by strengthening the justice system and service providers and guaranteeing the rule of law. Justice for All will empower Serbian citizens to know their rights and use the law by fostering partnerships between justice actors and local communities to innovate, problem-solve, and deliver better services. As a result, Justice for All will increase the quality and delivery of justice and transparency of court proceedings, thereby increasing resiliency and contributing to USAID’s overall goal of a more prosperous and democratic Serbia committed to Euro-Atlantic integration and self-reliance.