UN expert on truth and justice to visit Serbia and Kosovo*

GENEVA (17 November 2022) – The UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence, Fabian Salvioli, will conduct an official visit to Serbia and Kosovo* from 22 November to 2 December.

During his visit, the UN expert will examine the progress made in redressing the legacy of serious violations of human rights and humanitarian law committed during the armed conflicts that engulfed the region in the 1990s.

Gross violations of international human rights law and serious violations of international humanitarian law were documented during the armed conflicts that affected Serbia and Kosovo. A series of national, regional and international initiatives in the field of transitional justice were adopted in the intervening years to address the legacy of those violations.

“My visit aims to learn about and evaluate the measures taken by the authorities in Serbia and Kosovo in the areas of truth, justice, reparation, memory and guarantees of non-recurrence to redress the harm suffered by victims, ensure accountability, find missing persons, and prevent new violence,” Salvioli said.

“During the visit, I will seek to have a broad view of the various initiatives taken, identify good practices, gaps and problems, and formulate recommendations in that regard.”

Salvioli will meet with officials from relevant governmental, legislative and judicial institutions, the independent human rights institution, civil society, victim groups, academics and representatives of the international community. He will visit Belgrade and Pristina.

The expert will present his preliminary findings and recommendations at a news conference on Friday 2 December at 10:30 am at the Media Center Terazije 3, Belgrade. Access will be strictly limited to journalists.

The final report on the Special Rapporteur’s visit will be presented to the Human Rights Council in September 2023.

ENDS

* All references to Kosovo shall be understood to be in full compliance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 (1999).

Mr. Fabian Salvioli (Argentina) was appointed by the UN Human Rights Council in 2018 as the Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence. He is a human rights lawyer and professor. Fabián Salvioli is professor of International Law and Human Rights at the School of Law of the University of La Plata. He has lectured in many countries and universities across the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia. Mr. Salvioli has authored several books and articles on international human rights law. He was member of the United Nations Human Rights Committee between 2009 and 2016, and its President between 2015 and 2016. Mr. Salvioli served twice as member and three times as president of Ad-Hoc Arbitration Courts on Monetary Reparations, within the Friendly Settlement Mechanism of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. He received several honorary titles in recognition of his work in the fields of human rights and education.

Special Rapporteurs are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council.

Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures’ experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.

UN Human Rights, Country Page: Serbia