human security in an uufinished state - Helsinki Committee for ...

Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia
relations from the Cold War era. At the pertinent exam we are questioned by
professor Branko Rakić, legal aide of Slobodan Milošević."
Milovanović furthermore maintained that "students have not been
told that the international law is familiar with international criminal offences
covered by multilateral treaties, and that future jurists are stripped of
possibility to learn something about positions of those writers whose value
judgements and ideological leanings are contrary to those espoused by the the
authors of current textbooks. An additional problem is educational sustem
based on dogmatic rules and absence of critical thinking." He cautioned that
"xenophobia and national frustrations in Serbia are enlisting new followers
among the Law Faculty students.". According to Milovanovic: "the
consequence thereof is the anti-Hague lobby and the fact that winners of
competitions in oratorical skills are those participants whose oratorical
speeches sum up the totality of national furstrations and phobias". 23
Barring Radical Party rallies dedicated mostly to criticism and denial
of the Hague Tribunal under the slogan "Defence of Vojislav Šešelj", the
strongest outburst of racial, religious and national intolerance happened on 17
May, at the Belgrade Law Faculty panel discussion: "The Truth about
Srebrenica". That panel discussion was organized on the eve "of the 10th
anniversary of liberation of Srebrenica.". Without any opposition of the faculty
management, the panel discussion was staged by Association of Students,
"Nomokanon", one of the most militant, right-wing NGOs, regularly registered
by the Federal Justice Ministry in 2002 as "association of citizens proposing to
promote classes at the Belgrade Law Faculty."
The meeting was approved by the Students' Parliament and its Dean,
Dr Mirko Vasiljević who then said the following: "I personally think that the
time of banning panel discussions and punishing words spoken at them, has
passed. Everyone should assume responsibility for what he or she says."
Aside from a militant attempt at lynching several NGO
representatives, insulted, booed and threatened "to be expelled to Croatia and
Turkey", all those in attendance cheered on "Radovan Karadžić and Ratko
Mladić". 24 Because of the police intervention students donning T-shirts with
inscriptions "Serbia is in a hurry" or pictures of the then leader of Liberal-
Democratic Fraction, Čedomir Jovanović were ordered to leave the faculty. On
the other side, in attendance remained members of "Obraz" and of other rightwing
organizations, the Serb Radical Party, and even a youth donning a T-shirt
of the disbanded Unit for Special Operations. 25
Those in attendance frenetically applauded the following words of
journalist Ljiljana Bulatović: "In July 1995 Srebrenica was liberated, the Serb
23 Idem
24 Danas, 18 May 2005.
25 Idem
Human Security in an Unfinished State
people were liberated from Naser Orić and similar bandits. They conquered
Republika Srpska - Potočare to bury the alleged victims of Ratko Madić. We
want them to relocate their graves to their territory, for on ours they are not
welcome." 26 Another participant in the round-table, retired general Radovan
Radinović, Milošević's witness at the Hague Trial, stated that he was convinced
that genocide did not take place in Srebrenica. But he added that crimes were
committed in Srebrenica, and that the number of casualties might have been -
two, three or even- eight thousand people. Other participants also glorified the
mass killing of Muslims as a patriotic act. All in all, participants in the debate,
lecturers and organizers agreed that the killing of innocent civilians did not
take place-and even if it did, it was-necessary.
A group of professors of the Belgrade Law Faculty thus responded to
a disgraceful panel duscussion held under the auspicies of the faculty: "Those
responsible for staging that panel discussion should be punished." 27 They
appealed to the academic community and public at large to join in their protest
against the trend of covering-up committed crimes. Legal Forum called on all
expert, professional and students' organizations and political parties to join in
the civil intiatiative aimed at "liberation of Law Faculty and firing of Dean
Vasiljević for breaching the university autonomy." Its communique read: "Let
us not forget that Vasiljevic is a former activist of the Associated Yugoslav
Left" and "it is necessary to effect the reform of program and personnel policy
of Law Faculty." 28 YUCOM demanded resignation of Education Minister
Slobodan Vuksanovic because of his post-discussion statement: "Thoug lot of
people are sick and tired of that topic....I am full of understanding for people
who need more time to be rid of such memories." 29
Popular Movement 5 October condemned fascization of the country and
indicated that "the Law Faculty panel discussion was a panel discussion of
Nazis and Fascists." That event was also sharply condemned by the Social-
Democratic Union, the Civic Alliance of Serbia, League of Social-Democrats of
Vojvodina, and NGOs.
Panel discussion on Srebrenica shed light on a deep crisis of the
Belgrade University. It indicated the malaise of Law faculty, whose professors,
by their testimonies in the Hague Tribunal, defended Milosevic's policy. At
home they poison the minds of students, future lawyers, judges and jurists,
with stories about alleged anti-Serb conspiracies, and the injust position of
international law, embodied in the ICTY, on Serbia. Discussion on Srebrenica
at the Belgrade Law faculty is yet another proof that Serbia shall need a lot of
time to own up to the crimes committed by its citizens in recent wars.
26 Danas, 22 May 2005.
27 Danas, 20 May 2005.
28 Idem
29 Idem
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