MIP Participates in book launch on Srebrenica at Serbia’s Festival of Reconciliation

The Mechanism Information Programme for Affected Communities (MIP) participated on 29 May 2025 in the Festival of Reconciliation in Novi Sad, Serbia, organized by the Association Kulturanova. The festival aims to encourage young people from the region to think critically about peace, reconciliation, and interculturalism, and is funded by the European Union.

MIP researcher Nemanja Stjepanović participated in a panel discussion to launch the book "Losing Humanity - Srebrenica as a Historical Fact," written by Serbian historian and activist Dragan Popović. The book is a historiographical study of the genocide committed in Srebrenica in July 1995, describing the course of the crime and examining the context in which it took place. It is based on the judicial archive of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (Mechanism). The book was published by Forum Ziviler Friedensdienst - Pro Peace and the Association for a Modern History (UMHIS).

Speaking at the panel, Mr. Stjepanović emphasized the importance of the ICTY and Mechanism's legacy in understanding the events that occurred during the wars of the 1990s in the former Yugoslavia. He pointed out that judicially established facts, as well as the underlying court records - including testimonies from thousands of witnesses and tens of thousands of exhibits - are essential tools for historians studying the 1990s. Mr. Stjepanović noted that, in this respect, the book "Losing Humanity - Srebrenica as a Historical Fact" is an excellent example of utilising the ICTY and Mechanism archives for academic purposes.

In addition to Mr. Stjepanović and the book's author, Mr. Dragan Popović, other panellists included Ms. Nataša Govedarica, Director of ProPeace; Ms. Jovana Kolarić, researcher at the Humanitarian Law Centre; and historian Mr. Milivoj Bešlin. The panel was moderated by Mr. Vladimir Arsenić, the book's editor.

Participation in the Festival of Reconciliation forms part of the MIP's ongoing efforts to support projects and events implemented by civil society organizations active in the field of transitional justice in the former Yugoslavia.

The aim of the MIP is to improve the knowledge and understanding of citizens and communities in the countries of the former Yugoslavia about the crimes committed during the conflicts of the 1990s, based on the jurisprudence of the ICTY and the Mechanism.

The MIP is funded by the European Union.