Priznanja pred Međunarodnim krivičnim sudom za bivšu Jugoslaviju: Studija slučaja „Srebrenica 1995”
Guilty Pleas Before the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia: The “Srebrenica 1995” Case Study

Author(s): Jasmin Medić
Subject(s): Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, Law and Transitional Justice, Transformation Period (1990 - 2010), Politics of History/Memory, Wars in Jugoslavia
Published by: Institut za istraživanje zločina protiv čovječnosti i međunarodnog prava Univerziteta u Sarajevu
Keywords: Srebrenica; ICTY; guilty pleas; genocide; judgments; discourse;
Summary/Abstract: Among the seventeen individuals indicted for war crimes before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague who entered guilty pleas, three cases stand out in particular in relation to participation in crimes committed in the Srebrenica area in July 1995 by members of the Army of the Republika Srpska (VRS). Guilty pleas were entered by Dražen Erdemović, a member of the 10th Sabotage Detachment; Momir Nikolić, Assistant Commander for Security and Intelligence of the Bratunac Brigade; and Dragan Obrenović, Deputy Commander of the Zvornik Brigade. In addition to these, the case of Radislav Krstić, Chief of Staff of the Drina Corps, is also significant, as he became the first person convicted of genocide before the ICTY. Although he did not plead guilty during the proceedings themselves, Krstić acknowledged his own responsibility on several occasions while serving his prison sentence. The analysis focuses on the legal and socio-political implications of these admissions of guilt, the circumstances under which they were made, and the narratives the accused constructed in their testimonies. Particular emphasis is placed on the importance of their testimonies in proceedings against other defendants accused of genocide, thereby contributing to the establishment of facts and demonstrating the direct involvement of the Republika Srpska military leadership in the commission of genocide. The paper also examines the broader social context, specifically the impact these admissions had on public discourse in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

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