Serbia’s Justice Minister Maja Popovic told a UN Security Council meeting where a six-monthly report on the work of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals was presented that there is no reason why individuals convicted by the Tribunal would not be allowed to serve their sentences in Serbia.

Popovic outlined several benefits of this proposal, including reduced costs, easier access for families to visit their relatives, better access to healthcare, and enhanced rehabilitation opportunities. She argued this arrangement would also strengthen the Tribunal Mechanism’s standing as an international judicial authority.

The Justice Minister also raised concerns about current practices, arguing that denying early or conditional release violates defendants’ rights to equal treatment and contradicts the legal traditions of countries where convicts are currently imprisoned.

Popovic criticized what she described as selective prosecution based on nationality, particularly in Croatia, noting that Serbs face disproportionate targeting and trials in absentia. She sasid Croatia’s concept of the “homeland war” dismisses crimes committed against Serbs, adding that similar issues exist in Bosnia and Herzegovina.