Victimology Society of Serbia (VDS)

11000 Beograd
Kolarceva 8
Serbia and Montenegro
Tel/fax: +381 11 3282294
E-mail: vds@EUnet.yu
Web site: www. vds.org.yu

President: dr Vesna Nikolic-Ristanovic

E-mail:: vnikolic@EUnet.yu

International Conference “Which model of truth and reconciliation is the most appropriate for the former Yugoslavia?”

On 11th and 12th October 2002, the Victimology Society of Serbia in Belgrade (Serbia) organized an International Conference entitled Which model of truth and reconciliation is the most appropriate for the former Yugoslavia?” in cooperation with and with the financial support of the Fridrich Ebert Foundation. The main objective of the conference was the exchange of experiences concerning truth and reconciliation in different parts of the world, including different parts of the former Yugoslavia – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia in particular – as well as the launching of a broader public discussion on these issues on the level of the local community in Serbia.

The Conference was attended by prominent experts and direct participants of the truth and reconciliation process in different parts of the world (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Northern Ireland, Germany, England, Belgium, Rwanda and South Africa) as well as experts from Serbia. Also, representatives and activists from numerous non-governmental organizations from different parts of Serbia, who are either already involved in some of the truth and reconciliation projects on the level of the local communities, or would like to become further engaged in the development of the public discussion on this subject, took part at the Conference.

The Conference consisted of two days of intensive work. Introductory talks were given by 18 presenters. All the presentations were grouped into the five areas, as follows: Experiences of war victimization – truth, denial, reconciliation, workshop: How we survived the war in the former Yugoslavia – personal experiences; Truth and reconciliation – experiences of the countries of ex-Yugoslavia; Telling the truth in a different way – worldwide experiences; Truth and reconciliation – experiences of the countries of the former Yugoslavia I and II. Every session was followed by a lively, yet highly constructive and positive discussion, with a high degree of tolerance. A film about the truth and reconciliation process in South Africa was also shown. Throughout the Conference, the idea about the ways of searching for a model of truth and reconciliation was very well developed and was particularly improved during the final panel discussion, on the grounds of which the following resolutions regarding the future activities were made, which could be briefly defined as short-term and long-term objectives.

Short-term objectives:
1. A coordinated continuation of public discussion according to the principle of concentric circles on the local level, with the Victimology Society of Serbia as a possible coordinator.
2. Creating a data base of the organizations that are potential participants of group hearings.
3. Creating a data base of relevant written materials.
4. Education for conducting truth and reconcilliation processes at the local level.
5. Organizing conferences on experiences with victimization
6. Influencing educational institutions – school programs in particular.

Long-term objectives
1. Arriving at a truth and reconcilliation model for the former Yugoslavia
2. Setting up truth and reconcilliation commissions / tribunals and initiating their activities
3. Balkan Peace Studies

Also, the following aims of the truth and reconcilliation model were defined as:
—Reconcilliation / trust / forgiveness / catharsis / rapprochement / cooperation
—Re-defining the concepts
—Contextualization
—Taking a certain course – the very process means achieving the objective
—Decentralization of the process

Regarding the concept of truth about the war in the former Yugoslavia, the following features were crystallized:
— Definition – one /more – consensus
—Truth as a socially distributed knowledge
—Holistic, deriving from a maze of experiences
—Multigenerational experiences
—Facts on victimization
—Macro truth that consists of micro truths
—A positive history

As preconditions for the reconcilliation process, the following conditions were laid down:
1. Concrete – political, economic, financial, the media and other institutions
2. Freedom of movement in the area of the former Yugoslavia
3. Safe environment for testifying about the truth
4. A controlled process (of truth and reconcilliation) as opposed to the inconsistency that existed so far
5. A good timetable of particular activities
6. A discursive strategy (differences versus identity)
7. Knowledge (expertize)
8. Moral preconditions
9. Education on the local level
10. Resources
  —anti-war workshops
  —creative workshops
  —existing resources – e.g. gender mechanisms on the local level
  —data base of organizations – networks (using the existing and creating new ones)
  —data base on research and other relevant publications
  —human resources
  —radio B92 data base
  —getting as many social factors as possible involved (the young, the state, NGO-s)
  —constant presence in the public

In relation to other models of truth and reconciliation, the participants pledged for a comparisson of experiences combined with defining specific features.
The need for the development of the process of truth and reconciliation was observed on three levels:
– Macro (the state and international organizations)
– Mezzo (local communities, leaders and neighborhood)
– Micro (the individual, personal level)

The Conference fully achieved its fundamental aim, which was launching a public discussion on the local level as to which model of truth and reconciliation is needed in the former Yugoslavia. The knowledge that has been acquired through this exchange of experiences and ideas is of precious value to all the participants, in their future activities related to the development of the idea of truth and reconciliation in the former Yugoslavia. Furthermore, the publishing of papers in the magazine Temida has helped the dissemination of the ideas that were brought up at the Conference.

On going project “From remembering the past to positive future: toward the model of truth and reconciliation for SerbiaDuring 2003”, as a follow-up to International Conference “Which model of truth and reconciliation is the most appropriate for the former Yugoslavia?”, the Victimology Society organized 7 discussions / panels in different cities of Serbia and, since September 2003 have been surveying the opinions that the citizens of Serbia have regarding facing the past.
The brochure on truth and reconciliation and invitation for sending proposals is published and its distribution is going on now. The brochure/invitation is accessible from VDS web site, www.vds.org.yu.
The main idea of the project is to promote public discussion about the model of truth and reconciliation in Serbia in order to come to the recommandations for which VDS will further advocate at the governmental level.

During first half of 2004, VDS will be organising discussions / panels in 6 more towns in Serbia. On the basis of ideas from panels and those sent to VDS in response to above mentioned invitation, VDS is going to write and publish report, in which the way how people of Serbia see the model of truth and reconciliation will be presented, summerised and described. On the basis of the report, recommandations about truth and reconciliation model appropriate for Serbia will be proposed and discussed at the International Conference VDS plan to organise in October 2004.

Also, Victimology Society is planning to form a database of organizations and of authentic testimonies that could be used when organizing group hearings and local tribunals on war experiences in the former Yugoslavia.