Kandic: Kurti to withdraw from lawsuit, ICJ unlikely to hold Serbia responsible for genocide

English

Gazeta Express

12/05/2021 18:42

The founder of the Humanitarian Law Center (HLC), Serbian writer and human rights activist, who has consistently denounced the brutality and crimes of Serbia, Natasa Kandic, in an exclusive interview for Gazeta Express spoke about the promise of the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, for genocide lawsuit against Serbia in the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Kandic called the promise of Kurti, the Vetevendosje leader, a political initiative and stressed that as such she could not even support it, because as she said, that idea does not contribute to the rule of law and justice for the victims.

Gazeta Express: What are the chances for Kosovo to sue Serbia and win the case?

Kandic: There is no chance for the ICJ to rule that Serbia is responsible for the genocide in Kosovo. Kosovo’s new government should report to the European Union and the United Nations on how Serbia is not punishing those responsible within the Yugoslav Army and Ministry of Internal Affairs officers for the killing of about 7,000 Albanian civilians, tell them (the EU and the United Nations) that Serbia treats them as heroes, and the Government of Kosovo will have the support of Serbian civil society, especially the HLC. The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) has provided thousands of evidence against the Yugoslav Army, officers of Serbia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, which have been completely ignored by the Serbian Prosecution. The Government of Kosovo should insist that the European Union, as it supports the work of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, should react strongly to the fact that Serbia is not fulfilling its international obligations when it comes to crimes committed in Kosovo. There have been no new indictments for crimes in Kosovo for a long time. The Government of Kosovo can find strong support for this issue. But not for political ideas, such as this genocide lawsuit. Another very important issue is the missing persons, but among the missing (1,642) there are also Albanians for whose disappearance the KLA is responsible. In any case, there are many disappearances in groups, such as the disappearances of 30 men from Beleg, 50 from Kralan, 15 others from Meja, at least 25 from Deçan, Krusha e Vogël and Rahovec – for whom Yugoslav Army and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Serbia are responsible.

Gazeta Express: What could be the political consequences if Kosovo loses such a battle in the ICJ against Serbia?

Kandic: Let me repeat that this lawsuit should not be prepared. There are no experts in Kosovo who can do such a thing, while the best international experts will not accept such a job, except those who see it as an opportunity to make a lot of money. The War Crimes Institute needs to be revived. One has existed; the other one must use what the Institute had gathered and move on to establishment of an important institution.

Gazeta Express: In your opinion, what are the preconditions that Kosovo must meet to enter such a battle with Serbia in the ICJ?

Kandic: If the Government of Kosovo and the Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, do not withdraw from their idea of ​​a genocide lawsuit, then they have a lot of work ahead, which will cost a lot – first of all, to decide who will file the lawsuit. I am not sure that Edi Rama will support such an idea and that Kosovo can count on Albania for such a thing.

Gazeta Express: Will you help Kosovo on this issue if requested to do so by the institutions of Pristina?

Kandic: As before, the HLC will support justice for victims caused by Serbian forces, but in the case of the genocide lawsuit, we cannot support a political idea that does not contribute to the rule of law and justice for victims. But, as before, we will always say and present evidence of how the Government of Serbia protects from criminal liability hundreds of officers who have committed crimes in Kosovo. /GazetaExpress/