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Truth in the Shadow of Justice

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Transitional Justice and Civil Society in the Balkans

Part of the book series: Springer Series in Transitional Justice ((SSTJ))

Abstract

This chapter examines four innovative truth-seeking initiatives, defined as strategies to investigate, document, and publicize information about the recent war that are underway in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The analysis draws on findings from a qualitative study of civil society organizations looking for alternatives to courts in order to ensure accountability, improve survivor well-being, and prevent future violence. These initiatives reveal that civil society organizations increasingly focus on outreach in an attempt to shift narratives of victimization, and struggle to achieve their goals in the midst of ongoing social and political divides in the region. The findings point to several new and ongoing challenges for policy makers, advocates, and scholars interested in the elusive goals of transitional justice.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Although truth is a contested concept, I use it to refer to a fact-based account of the violence, and in reference to scholarly debates about truth and justice that defined the early literature on transitional justice (see Roht-Arriaza and Mariezcurrena 2006; Zalaquett 1994).

  2. 2.

    The data also include detailed notes on 14 public events in Sarajevo where civil society leaders presented their work, and a content analysis of dozens of documents provided by the individuals and organizations analyzed here. For more information on these methods, please see Jamie Rowen, (forthcoming 2012), “Mobilizing truth: Agenda setting in a transnational social movement,” Law and Social Inquiry.

  3. 3.

    Pajic, Zoran, and Dragan Popović, “Dealing with the Past and Access to Justice from a Public Perspective,” Presentation from UNDP Conference on Transitional Justice, 31 March 2010.

  4. 4.

    Krstic Decision. (ICJ Bosnia and Herzegovina v. Serbia and Montenegro), case 91, International Court of Justice (ICJ) Judgment returned on 26 February 2007.

  5. 5.

    For a detailed overview of these challenges, including the responses of the various victims’ associations, see Igor Mekina, Analysis of Public Criticism and Support for the Initiative for RECOM. www.zarekom.org/uploads/documents/2011/09/i_1647/f_1/f_2826_en. Accessed August 2011.

  6. 6.

    One well publicized example of their power can be seen in the dispute over Angelina Jolie’s movie on a Bosnian war camp. The plot involved a romance between a rape victim and her perpetrator. A BiH rape victims group was able to lobby the government to temporarily withdraw the filmmaker’s production permit.

  7. 7.

    See Regional Debate on the Mandate of RECOM: Review of opinions, suggestions, and RECOMmendations Report May–December 2009, Novi Sad, Vojvodina, Serbia, 20–21 March 2010.

  8. 8.

    See, e.g., Kandic Asks that Donations to her Critics be Revoked!? Dnevni Avaz, 25 March 2010.

  9. 9.

    These figures are cited in Youth Initiative for Human Rights, “Newsletter, July/August 2011,” YIHR Index: YIHR-08-13727 24 August 2011. In order to understand these overall numbers, it is also important to highlight how the shadow of justice extended to neighboring countries. The Coalition leaders in Croatia seemed to have more success bringing together various parties, but the indictment of popular war-time general Gotovina in May 2011 undermined their efforts to collect signatures. Many Croatians believe that Gotovina is a hero who defended the country from Serb aggression and resent the international community for condemning him as a war criminal. The Coalition was only able to collect 19,668 signatures. ZaREKOM seemed to have most success in Serbia and Kosovo, where many youth appear interested in understanding the recent wars.

  10. 10.

    Notably, the chairman of the BiH Presidency, Zeljko Komśić, pledged support for the establishment of RECOM.

  11. 11.

    L. Kovacević, Is RECOM Collapsing? SETimes, http://www.eurasiareview.com/03072011-is-recom-collapsing/. Accessed 3 July 2011.

  12. 12.

    To Establish RECOM in 2013, Nezavisne Novine, 9 July 2011.

  13. 13.

    A prominent Croatian human rights advocate and scholar relayed to me that the only time he has been verbally attacked for speaking about the war was when he arrived in 1996 and said that 100,000 people were killed (79, personal communication, 8 May 2010).

  14. 14.

    See, e.g., Bosnia War Dead Figure Announced, BBC News, Accessed 21 June 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6228152.stm; Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, Justice Report: Bosnia’s Book of the Dead. http://birn.eu.com/en/88/10/3377/. Accessed 21 June 2007.

  15. 15.

    Another Sarajevo-based organization, Gardens of the Righteous Worldwide (GARIWO), has been engaged in similar work to gather and disseminate stories of survivors who saved others.

  16. 16.

    See Information and Documentation Center, War Crimes Atlas. http://www.idc.org.ba/.

  17. 17.

    The Human Rights Council has developed a doctrine on the “right to the truth” as critical to “end impunity and to promote and protect human rights.” United Nations Human Rights Council, Resolution on the Right to Truth, A/HRC/9/11, 18 September 2008.

  18. 18.

    Mapping Srebrenića, About Us. Retrieved from http://www.srebrenica-mappinggenocide.com/en-m/.

  19. 19.

    International Commission on Missing Persons, About ICMP. http://www.ic-mp.org/about-icmp/.

  20. 20.

    These numbers are regularly updated on the organizations website. See International Commission on Missing Persons, About ICMP. http://www.ic-mp.org/about-icmp/.

  21. 21.

    The ICMP has been targeted largely because of its close relationship with the ICTY. Questions about the number of dead have come up in several cases at the ICTY. See, e.g., Prosecutor v. Vujadin Popovic (Judgment), IT-05-88-T, International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/4c1f69fe2.html. Accessed 10 June 2010.

  22. 22.

    International Criminal Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia, Prosecutor v. Karadžić, Order on Selection of Cases for DNA Analysis, IT-95-5/18-T (19 March 2010).

  23. 23.

    International Commission on Missing Persons, Mutual Understanding and Transitional Justice. http://www.ic-mp.org/activities/public-involvement-civil-society-initiatives/mutual-understanding-and-transitional-justice/.

  24. 24.

    International Commission on Missing Persons, Online Inquiry Center. http://www.ic-mp.org/fdmsweb/index.php?w=intro&l=en&2956.

  25. 25.

    How to Think about the Balkans, The Economist, 17 November 2010. Vesna Terselić, executive director of Dokumenta, was recently awarded the Right Livelihood award for her efforts to promote peace in the region. Speaking with reporters, explained the value of ZaREKOM See, Right Livelihood Laureates from Thailand, Burma and Croatia, Democracy Now. http://www.democracynow.org/2010/9/16/right_livelihood_laureates_from_croatia_thailand. Accessed 16 September 2010.

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Acknowledgments

Funding for this study was generously provided by the National Science Foundation, The University of California, Berkeley, Institute for International Studies, and the Berkeley Empirical Legal Studies Program. Special thanks to all of my interviewees, and Damir Omergacic for his incredible generosity during my fieldwork. I would also like to thank Professor Lauren Edelman, Professor Calvin Morrill, Alexa Koenig, Gail Bensiger, for their ongoing feedback and support.

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  1. American Bar Foundation, 1401 Scenic Ave., Berkeley, CA, 94708, USA

    Jamie Rowen

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  1. Jamie Rowen
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Correspondence to Jamie Rowen .

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  1. Griffith University, Griffith Law School, Parklands Drive, Southport, Queensland, Australia

    Olivera Simić

  2. , School of Journalism and Communication, University of Queensland, --, Brisbane, 4072, Australia

    Zala Volčič

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Rowen, J. (2013). Truth in the Shadow of Justice. In: Simić, O., Volčič, Z. (eds) Transitional Justice and Civil Society in the Balkans. Springer Series in Transitional Justice. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5422-9_8

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