Commissioner Urges Former Yugoslav Countries to Reconcile with Their Past

Council of Europe (Photo: Council of Europe/Candice Imbert)

In letters sent to the heads of government of CoE member countries in the region of the former Yugoslavia, the Council of Europe’s (CoE) commissioner for human rights, Dunja Mijatovic, recommended concrete steps needed for coming to terms with the violent past and moving forward, with more determination, towards social cohesion, justice and reconciliation, the Council of Europe stated on Feb. 8.

According to the statement, the commissioner pointed out the key steps required for asserting the victims’ rights and promoting inclusive rights and human rights based on facing with the past in the region.

In the separate letters to the prime ministers of Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Slovenia, she shared the key findings and recommendations from her recent report, titled “Facing with The Past for A Better Future – Accomplishing Justice, Peace And Social Cohesion in The Region of The Former Yugoslavia,” the statement reads.

In the letter to Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic, Mijatovic pointed out that, instead of being accelerated and completed, the processes of facing with the past have slowed down and were stagnating in the recent years. She reiterated in the letter that a particular cause for concern was that ethno-nationalist narratives and glorifications of war criminals had been restored in several countries, by political leaders and other influential actors, like the media, religious and other public figures.