Serbian justice minister: Serbia not denying crimes, glorifying criminals

Addressing on Tuesday a meeting of the United Nations Security Council where a semi-annual report on the work of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT) was presented, Popovic noted that the body did not fulfill its intended role but rather contributed to further destabilizing relations in the former Yugoslavia and circumstances qualified by the Security Council as “a threat to international peace and security.”

Commenting a statement by IRMCT official that they remain committed to combating the divisive phenomena of genocide denial, historical revisionism and glorification of convicted war criminals, Popovic said the result of the UN General Assembly vote on the Resolution on Srebrenica clearly indicates a complete disunity of the international community on this issue.

A Serbian Government press release quoted Popovic as saying that, with their passive attitude and denial of Serbian victims, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and the Mechanism led to the denial of crimes against the Serbian civilian population and encouraged the policy of historical revisionism and the glorification of war criminals in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo and Metohija (the official name for what the Serbian authorities consider to be the country’s southern province).

The acquittals of the Tribunal and the Mechanism for Ante Gotovina, Naser Oric and Ramush Haradinaj ignored the crimes for which there is forensic and other evidence in the possession of the prosecution, Popovic said.

She added that she hopes the Mechanism will soon finish its work, because lost its primary function a long time ago and went beyond its own competences, established by the Security Council.

The minister insisted that the Mechanism transfer the case of Radeta and Jojic to Serbia and pointed out that Serbia's actions in that matter do not constitute a violation of its international obligations but rather an effort to act in accordance with Security Council Resolution 1966.

Popovic voiced fear that the Mechanism's insistence that proceedings for contempt of court be conducted in The Hague will lead to new political tensions, stressing that the Mechanism was established with the aim of prosecuting the most serious forms of violation of international humanitarian law committed on the territory of the former Yugoslavia, and not to conduct proceedings for contempt of court.

She also pointed to the very poor treatment of convicted Serbian citizens who are serving prison sentences imposed by the Tribunal or the Mechanism.

The Minister stressed that Serbia will continue to insist that all its citizens convicted before the Tribunal and the Mechanism serve their prison sentences in their own country.