Nevenka Tromp, a researcher at the Hague Tribunal for war crimes in the former Yugoslavia, stated that Serbia’s approach in the political arena would change if Kosovo files a lawsuit for genocide.
Speaking at the International Conference of the Institute for War Crimes in Kosovo, Tromp emphasized that despite Kosovo not being a UN member, it could still sue Serbia through another country. She pointed out that genocide lawsuits are handled by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which resolves disputes between states.
She referenced past cases, noting that Bosnia and Croatia lost their genocide lawsuits against Serbia. The ICJ held Serbia responsible for violating the Genocide Convention in Srebrenica but did not convict it of direct genocide. Tromp urged Kosovo to learn from these cases and ensure a strong legal foundation for its claims.
Kosovo’s Deputy Speaker, Saranda Bogujevci, highlighted the need for stronger domestic institutions to address war crimes. Meanwhile, Feride Rushiti, Director of the Kosovo Center for the Rehabilitation of Torture Survivors, spoke about the challenges faced by victims of sexual violence in seeking justice.
During the 1998–1999 Kosovo war, over 13,000 civilians were killed, more than 20,000 women and men were subjected to sexual violence, over 6,000 people went missing—1,600 of whom remain unaccounted for—and more than 800,000 were displaced.
