Article

The mass crimes in the former Yugoslavia : participation, punishment and prevention ?

Samuel Tanner

• International review of the Red Cross, Vol. 90, no. 870, June 2008, p. 273-287

English

This article discusses sanctions for and the prevention of mass violence. But rather than take a classic approach centred on statutory players such as soldiers, officers or political leaders, all of them acting within a legal chain of command, I focus on nonstate perpetrators. My reflections are based on case studies of four former Serbian militiamen who took part in mass violence in the former Yugoslavia. I argue that it is of the utmost importance to consider the typical grass-roots relationship between these local players and their own community, so as to maximize the effect of sanctions and perhaps prevent further offences by potential future perpetrators.

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• International review of the Red Cross / ICRC
• International review of the Red Cross [Vol. 90, no. 870, June 2008] / ICRC