The United Nations War Crimes Commission and the Prosecution of War Criminals in Yugoslavia

What is it about?

During the Second World War, Yugoslav communists followed Soviet patterns and adopted Aron Trainin’s ideas in their legal concepts of punishment of war criminals. But with their engagement on the United Nations War Crimes Commission they adapted its legal framework and a whole set of jurisdictional guidelines and standards and incorporated them into Yugoslav criminal law. This paper analyses Yugoslav war crimes policies from different perspectives and in different settings. What relevance did discussions about the punishment of war criminals have regarding power struggles between the Yugoslav government in exile and the Yugoslav communists? How did Yugoslav war crimes policy develop, focusing on the transition of knowledge and transnational dynamics? Which institutions were involved in the ‘legal flows’?

Featured Image