• Human Rights in Serbia

    Despite being granted status as a candidate for European Union membership in March 2012, Serbia faces significant problems with its human rights record. The situation of ethnic minorities remains precarious, especially for Roma. There was some progress on domestic war crimes accountability but Belgrade was criticized for inadequate cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Journalists still face a hostile environment, despite some progress in bringing perpetrators of attacks to justice. The asylum system remains weak and overburdened.

  • Serbia/Kosovo: Landmark Opportunity for Human Rights
    Apr 23, 2013
    The April 19 agreement between Serbia and Kosovo offers a landmark opportunity to improve human rights protection in both countries.
  • Balkans: Rights Protections Lagging
    Jan 31, 2013
    Human rights protection in the Western Balkans fails to match the region’s aspirations for European integration, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2013. Human Rights Watch documented human rights concerns in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, and Kosovo during 2012.
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Serbia

  • Serbia/Kosovo: Landmark Opportunity for Human Rights
    Apr 23, 2013
    The April 19 agreement between Serbia and Kosovo offers a landmark opportunity to improve human rights protection in both countries.
  • Denying Genocide Won't Promote Reconciliation
    Apr 10, 2013

    A public debate at the UN on April 10 will serve up a revisionist denial of the worst killings in Europe since the end of World War II: the ethnic slaughter in the former Yugoslavia that horrified the world in the 1990s. While the session's ostensible purpose is to take "a closer look at the long-term impact of international criminal justice, in particular as it relates to reconciliation..." it is unlikely much thoughtful discussion will occur. 

  • Balkans: Rights Protections Lagging
    Jan 31, 2013
    Human rights protection in the Western Balkans fails to match the region’s aspirations for European integration, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2013. Human Rights Watch documented human rights concerns in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, and Kosovo during 2012.
  • EU/US: Press Rights Issues on Balkans Visit
    Oct 29, 2012
    United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and European Union High Representative Catherine Ashton should emphasize the importance of improving human rights records in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and Serbia and Kosovo during their Western Balkan tour.
  • Serbia: Revoke Ban on Belgrade Pride Parade
    Oct 5, 2012
    Serbia’s ban on the Belgrade Pride Parade, scheduled for October 6, 2012, violates the country’s international legal obligations and should be immediately repealed. On October 3, the Interior Ministry announced that based on an assessment of security risks, it was blocking the peaceful demonstration and all other public gatherings on the same date.
  • ICTY/Bosnia: Start of Mladic Trial Shows Persistence Pays
    May 14, 2012

    The opening of the trial of Ratko Mladic, the Bosnian Serb wartime military commander, is a salient reminder that justice catches up with those accused of atrocity crimes. Mladic’s trial for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide is scheduled to begin on May 16, 2012, before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague.

  • Serbia/Kosovo: Halt Arbitrary Arrests
    Mar 30, 2012
    Serbia should immediately release two Kosovo Albanians arbitrarily arrested on March 28, 2012 in “retaliation” for the arrest of four Serbs on March 27.
  • In Mladic Arrest, a Reminder of How Far International Justice Has Come
    May 31, 2011
    The forthcoming trial in The Hague of the arrested Serb warlord is an occasion to assess the achievements of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
  • Remembering the Horrors of Srebrenica
    May 27, 2011
    The arrest of Ratko Mladic will finally bring justice to victims and survivors of the bloody slaughter of 7,000 men and boys, writes Human Rights Watch's Emma Daly, who covered the conflict as a reporter. She recalls the anguish of victims, savagery of Mladic-and denial of Bosnian Serbs.
  • No Safe Haven?
    May 27, 2011
    The arrest of the notorious fugitive Ratko Mladic almost 16 years after his indictment for genocide closes a gaping hole in the otherwise laudable efforts to bring to justice the authors of "ethnic cleansing" in the Balkans.
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