Material Reparations for Human Rights Violations Committed in the Past> Court Practice in the Republic of Serbia Humanitarian Law Center Material Reparations for Human Rights Violations Committed in the Past: Court Practice in the Republic of Serbia 1 Material Reparations for Human Rights Violations Committed in the Past: Court Practice in the Republic of Serbia Publisher Humanitarian Law Center For the Publisher Nataša Kandić Translation Vesna Bogojević Proof Editing Jonathan Boulting Graphic design Dejana & Todor Cvetković Printing Publikum Print run 2 300 Belgrade, January 2012 ISBN 978-86-7932-045-2 CIP - Каталогизација у публикацији Народна библиотека Србије, Београд 341.384(497.11) 341.231.14-058.64(497.11) MATERIAL Reparations for Human Rights Violations Committed in the Past : Court Practice in the Republic of Serbia / [editor Nataša Kandić]. - Belgrade : Humanitarian Law Center, 2012 (Belgrade : Publikum). - 128 str. ; 21 cm Izv. stv. nasl.: Materijalne reparacije za povrede ljudskih prava u prošlosti. - Tiraž 300. - Napomene i bibliografske reference uz tekst. ISBN 978-86-7932-045-2 a) Репарације b) Права човека - Кршење c) Права човека - Заштита - Србија COBISS.SR-ID 188770060 Table of Contents I Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 5 II Reparations on the basis of court decisions ................................................................ 5 I. The legal basis for the right to reparation through the courts ........................ 6 2. Characteristics of court proceedings for the realization of material reparations .............................................................................................. 7 2.1. The burden of proof .............................................................................................. 7 2.2 Interpretation of the statute of limitations at the expense of victimsa .................................................................................... 8 2.3. The attitude of state bodies towards victims .................................................. 11 2.3.1. Wrongful conduct of judges .............................................................................. 11 2.3.2. Non-recognition of victims by the Attorney-General ............................... 12 2.4. The amount of compensation ............................................................................. 12 2.5. The long duration of court proceedings ........................................................... 13 2.6. Fear of filing law suits............................................................................................ 13 III Cases where the HLC represented victims ................................................................ 14 1. Case: the SljivovicaandMitrovo Polje Camps ...................................................... 14 1.1 The arrest of refugees and deportation to camps ........................................... 14 1.2 Treatment of prisoners in the camps .................................................................. 15 2.1.1. The Case of Enes Bogilovic and Musan Dzebo ............................................. 18 2.1.2. Other cases where the HLC represents former inmates 3 of Sljivovica and Mitrovo Polje ......................................................................... 22 2.2. Illegal detention and torture of Kosovo Albanians ......................................... 23 2.2.1. The case of Ekrem Nebihu and Sylejman Bajgora ........................................ 24 2.2.2. Other cases where the HLC represents Kosovar Albanians as victims of illegal detention and torture in Serbian prisons ....................................... 30 2.3. Torture against Sanjak Bosniaks: 1992-199630 ....................................................................... 32 2.3.1. The case of Fehrat Suljic ..................................................................................... 32 2.3.2. Other cases in which the HLC represented Bosniak victims of torture from Sanjak ....................................................................................... 37 2.4. Crimes against Bosniaks in the village of Kukurovici (Municipality of Priboj) ......................................................................................... 38 2.4.1. The case of Musan Husovic .............................................................................. 39 2.4.2. Other cases in which the HLC represents victims of the crime in the village Kukurovici ................................................................................... 41 2.5. The case of a war crime against Albanian civilians in Podujevo/Podujevë ............................................................................................. 42 2.6 The case of Sjeverin ................................................................................................. 47 2.7. Forced mobilization of refugees from Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina ........................................................................................ 53 2.7.1. The case of Dusan Stanic et al ......................................................................... 54 IV Conclusions ........................................................................................................................ 59 Annex I: ................................................................................................................................... 61 Report by Thomas Hammarberg, Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe Following his visit to Serbia on 12-15 June 2011 Annex II .................................................................................................................................... 101 Concluding remarks of the Human Rights Committee on the Implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights Annex III ................................................................................................................................... 111 Concluding remarks of the UN Committee for the Prevention of Torture on the Implementation of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment Annex IV .................................................................................................................................. 123 European Convention on the Compensation of Victims of Violent Crimes 4 I Introduction Reparations are measures applied by post-conflict societies designed to correct different types of damages suffered by victims1 as a result of certain criminal offenses committed by previous governments and their institutions. The goal of reparations is justice for victims. For most victims, reparations are the most tangible manifestation of a society’s efforts to remedy the injuries they have suffered. Reparations are divided into material and symbolic, and can be individual or collective. They are realized directly through the application of a law (administratively) or through the courts. By reviewing the legislative regulations and court procedures in the lawsuits filed by the Humanitarian Law Center (HLC), this Report will discuss the realization of material reparations through the courts. II Reparations on the basis of court decisions In Serbia, the only mechanism that provides the right to financial support to victims of past human rights violations (hereinafter, “the victims”) is the Law on War Invalids.2 This law, however, applies only to victims who are citizens of 5 Serbia, against whom violence was committed by members of a hostile party in an armed conflict. It therefore exempts the victims of crimes committed by members of the Serbian Ministry of the Interior (MUP, i.e. police forces), the Yugoslav National Army (JNA) and the Yugoslav Army (military), regardless of whether they are citizens of Serbia or not.3 In the absence of a reparation program, victims often attempt to realize their right to material compensation in court proceedings against the Republic of 1 The term „victim“ indicates a person who, individually or collectively, has suffered harm, including physical or mental injury, emotional suffering, financial loss or substantial impairment of fundamental rights, through actions or omissions that constitute gross violations of international criminal law or serious violations of international humanitarian law. The term “victim“ includes, where applicable, immediate family or dependent family members of direct victims and persons who have suffered injuries in an effort to assist victims in distress or to prevent victimization (Basic Principles and Guidelines on the right to legal remedy and reparation for victims of gross violations of international human rights and serious violations of international humanitarian law, adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 2005. Resolution No. 60/147 of December 16, 2005, provision 8). 2 “Službeni glasnik RS” (“Official Gazetta of RS”) No. 52/96. 3 For more on administrative reparations in Serbia, see: Vodič kroz reparacije (A Guide through Reparations), HLC: 2010. Serbia, invoking on those occasions the responsibility of the state for the actions of its armed forces. As a rule, human rights organizations initiate the proceedings by filing a lawsuit on behalf of the victims. The victims themselves rarely file on their own, be it out of fear or mistrust of the courts, or because legal services are costly. I.The legal basis for the right to reparation through the courts4 The Constitution