(No) power of the judicial institutions of the former Yugoslav countries in prosecuting those responsible for missing persons in armed conflicts

Abstract

The problem of resolving the fate of missing persons still exists, even though almost three decades have passed since the end of the conflict in the former Yugoslavia. According to official data, about 10,000 missing people remain to be found, but over time, hope is dwindling. We pointed out in the paper that this pace of finding would take who knows how many years and even decades, and many families will probably not wait for that moment to bury their missing relatives. Politics is still present, and this necessarily results in delays in resolving this problem. It was also pointed out that no one has been held criminally responsible for thousands and thousands of missing persons, nor are criminal proceedings initiated, but also for those who obstruct this issue.

Keywords

• missing persons
• former yugoslavia
• victims' families
• wars in the balkans
• obstruction of judicial institutions