Prospects for Reconciliation and Transitional Justice in the Post-Yugoslav Region

International Workshop |After ICTY: Prospects for Reconciliation and Transitional Justice in the post-Yugoslav Region

Organized by the Vera and Donald Blinken Open Society Archives and the Department of Political Science at the Central European University

February 21, 2018, 13:00-18:00  Vera and Donald Blinken Open Society Archives (1051 Budapest, Arany János utca 32.)

In December 2017, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) completed its primary task of prosecuting crimes committed during the 1992-1995 Yugoslav wars. Hardly any of its decisions passed without controversies. Dissatisfaction with and public denials of the last ICTY verdicts, can be seen, however, as indication that the prosecution of war crimes left many questions regarding the establishment of transitional justice in the post-Yugoslav region still open. What have ICTY judgments achieved in terms of justice making in the former warring countries? To which extent did the ICTY verdicts contribute to a process of national and regional reconciliation? What was the role of the ICTY indictments in contesting or reproducing the dominant war narratives among the countries? Was responsibility for the committed crimes in the name of a collectivity adequately assumed?

This workshop featuring speakers from academic institutions and NGOs, aims at elaborating these questions. It will focus, in particular, on specifying legal and political mechanisms of transitional justice, their moral justification and the possibilities for their application within the post-Yugoslav social and political context.

Admission is free and open to the public, but places are limited. For further information and registration, please contact Perica Jovchevski, jovchevski_perica@phd.ceu.edu

PROGRAM

13:00   Registration

13:15   Welcome note:

            István Rév, Director, Blinken OSA

            Csaba Szilágyi, Head of the Human Rights Program, Blinken OSA

13.30   The Yugoslav Archive Project: from archiving to transitional justice

            Perica Jovchevski, PhD Student, CEU (Budapest)/Assistant archivist, Blinken OSA

            (Budapest)

            Connor Kusilek, MA Student, CEU (Budapest)

14:00   The Role of ICTY in the Reconciliation Process within the Countries in the Post-Yugoslav Region

            Chair: Perica Jovchevski

14.10   ICTY: Failed Hopes, Denials, and Achievements

            Nenad Dimitrijević, Professor, CEU (Budapest)

14.40   Does Judicial Reasoning in Judgements of the ICTY Contribute to Deterrence,

            Reconciliation and Acknowledgement of Responsibility?

            Eszter Kirs, Associate professor, Corvinus University of Budapest, University of Miskolc

            /Legal Officer, Hungarian Helsinki Committee (Budapest)

15.10   Challenge of Dealing with the Past, Acknowledging Suffering and Creating Inclusive

            Remembrance Processes

            Vesna Teršelić, Director, Documenta-Center for Dealing with the Past (Zagreb)

15.40   Coffee Break

16:00   General Discussion

17:00   “Getting away with murder”, screening of a documentary from Blinken OSA's collections

17.40   Closing remarks