The report on the denial of war crimes in 2024 is the third in a series published by the Youth Initiative for Human Rights. Through several sections, it traces the thread of institutional denial of war crimes committed in the 1990s by officials of the Republic of Serbia. The report commences with an analysis of the conduct of judicial institutions, which, in the context of war crimes prosecution, are based on a foundation of denial and impunity. This segment is followed by a brief overview of the denial practices, the main actors behind them, media manipulation in portraying the perpetrators, as well as the aesthetics of denial. At the end of the report, denial practices are presented in detail through the denial of individual war crimes, as well as the glorification of war criminals, accompanied by a reflection on the local election campaign held in June 2024.
The extent of denial—especially in relation to the Srebrenica genocide—is reflected in the silence surrounding a letter by Radoslav Krstić, published by the IRMCT in November 2024. In the letter, submitted as part of his request for early release, Krstić accepted personal responsibility and, as one of those convicted of aiding the genocide, stated that he would “vote for the Srebrenica Resolution”.
Bearing in mind that 2024 was marked by a campaign of disinformation by the Serbian authorities aimed at halting the adoption of the Resolution on Srebrenica Genocide, which was passed by the United Nations General Assembly on May 23, this year’s report is titled “Lying Under the Flag”.
You can read the report in English here.
