17.10.2010.
Seventh Regional Forum on Transitional Justice
The Seventh Forum on Transitional Justice was held from October 16-17, 2010 in Zagreb, Croatia. The Forum was opened by the President of the Republic of Croatia (RC) Ivo Josipović. Participants at the Forum included the former President of the RC, Stipe Mesić, Vice President of the RC, Slobodan Uzelac, and representatives of the Croatian Sabor (the Parliament) and other different department of the Government of the RC. This was perceived by members of the Coalition as a confirmation of political support offered to the Initiative for RECOM by the Croatian political establishment. During the plenary session of the Seventh Forum on Transitional Justice, victims and witnesses of war crimes testified.
In addition to the plenary session, four working groups were also convened, tasked with discussing the following topics: the composition and election of RECOM members, the mandate of RECOM and its authority with respect to the authority of national judiciaries, the public presentation and image of the Initiative for RECOM, and the prospected goals and assignments of RECOM. Among the group tasked with discussing RECOM’s mandate were those who believed that the Statute of RECOM should be based on the voluntary decision of victims and witnesses to testify and on the mandatory cooperation of state institutions, as provided by applicable national laws. Some participants objected the fact that the crime of genocide was left out from the list of crimes that RECOM would be authorized to investigate. It was suggested and accepted by all members at this plenary session that the Statute should not include specific criminal acts that RECOM would investigate and that Article 15 should instead read: “The commission is mandated to investigate facts concerning crimes against humanity and international humanitarian law, as well as facts concerning other forms of serious human rights violations.“ The RECOM Draft Statute is being re-drafted to reflect the changes proposed by the participants of this working group at the Seventh Forum.
The Third Assembly of the Coalition for RECOM was held on October 15, 2010 in Zagreb, Croatia. On this occasion, five new members of the Coordination Council were elected and a newly adopted change to the Statute of the Coalition allowed members of organizations which are already included the Coalition to additionally become individual members. As of the end of November 2010 the Coalition has 1,060 members, both individuals and organizations: 66 from Montenegro, 269 from Bosnia and Herzegovina, 91 from Croatia, 283 from Kosovo, 3 from Macedonia, 5 from Slovenia, and 343 from Serbia. The number of members in the Coalition for RECOM has been steadily increasing.
Working Group IV: Public Advocating for RECOM – Opinions, Suggestions, and Recommendations
Signature campaign – draft – comments integrated
Press Release: There Can Be No Reconciliation without the Voice of the Victims
The video is available in BCS languages.
