Young People-Ivanjica, Serbia-September 21, 2008

National Consultation with Young People on the Initiative for RECOM

 

Young people support the regional initiative for establishing the facts about war crimes and they believe RECOM should be established as an official commission.

The regional commission must be free from bias and strictly objective in its work and the process of establishment of the commission must be very well conceived.

Young people believe that it is necessary to con- duct a campaign to create a positive climate in the societies on the territory of the former Yugoslavia and that the campaign must include various target groups with an approach adjusted for each particular group. The campaign must be a gradual process and it must include victims, their families, and it should stress the need to discover the truth.

The campaign should include public personalities from different areas.

Education has a very important role in creating a positive climate, and so does regional cooperation and youth exchange programs. It is necessary to set up a generation link between victims and young people so that they can develop empathy for victims. It is also important to organize visits to memorials and locations where war crimes were committed.

Young people believe that together with the victims, it is their responsibility to bring a change to their societies in everyday life.

It is necessary to include religious communities, too, together with the victims church officials must monitor public hearings of victims and they have to be fully included in the entire process.

Members of the commission should not be those who were members of governments or had any ties with governments at the time of armed conflicts on the territory of the former Yugoslavia.

Young people encourage victims and their families to testify publicly and they believe that the entire process of a hearing, including its preparation and the manner in which is conducted must be executed meticulously so that the dignity of victims is preserved and their wishes respected.

Young people believe that in addition to victims and their family members, public personalities and intellectuals should be members of the commission.

RECOM must have a clearly defined authorization to investigate. State institutions, including security services must cooperate with RECOM.

Report from the event