NEWS ARCHIVE

Impunity Watch initiates new Serbian network to lobby against impunity

The groups, most of which are from communities outside the capital, Belgrade, decided to form the Lobbying Network for Suppression of Impunity after participating in meetings held by Impunity Watch to disseminate its recently published research findings, ‘Dealing with Impunity in Serbia – Options and Obstacles.’

Those discussions, held throughout Serbia in the first part of 2009, highlighted the importance of lobbying authorities at both local and state levels, and engaging local communities as well as addressing society as a whole, if real progress is to be made towards achieving wider acceptance of the truth of what happened during Yugoslavia’s dissolution, and building a culture of memory in that regard – the weakness to date in both these areas was shown in Impunity Watch’s report to be one of the most significant obstacles to overcoming impunity in Serbia.

The Network aims therefore to advocate at both levels for the sustained adoption of small, yet significant, steps in this regard. Moreover, it seeks to stimulate the adoption of the anti-impunity agenda by many more civil society organisations throughout the country.

The Network’s membership currently comprises: Citizens’ Action from Pancevo, Impuls from Tutin, the Sandzak Committee for Human Rights from Novi Pazar, the Centre for Developing Civil Resources from Nis, the Zajecar Initiative from Zajecar, the Women in Black network and the Independent Journalists’ Association of Vojvodina.

Representatives of the OSCE Mission to Serbia and Serbian Office of the National Council for Cooperation with the Hague Tribunal attended the Network’s founding meeting, and expressed their interest in following and supporting its progress.

Further information on Network, its plans, activities and possibilities for participation and support will be made available on Impunity Watch’s website, where its research report and policy recommendations can also be downloaded.