Exploring War Crimes in Yugoslavia

by Mary Shepard, WAMM

On March 4, 2000, the WAMM Yugoslavia Committee will host (with the cosponsorship of other peace and justice organizations) a War Crimes Tribunal at William Mitchell Law School. This Tribunal is focused on war crimes committed by the US in Yugoslavia and particularly Kosovo. Were US/NATO actions really for humanitarian ends?

Some have asked our committee why we have chosen this focus and not included the war crimes committed by other nations and leaders. Yugoslavia is a laboratory case of how conflicts involving the US are handled and reported by our leaders. Crimes committed by other parties to the conflict, especially those in opposition to the outcome favored by our government, are reported thoroughly. Sometimes they are exaggerated or even contrived.

Meanwhile, the US role is ignored or portrayed as that of a peace broker among intractable or unreasonable combatants. More often than not, a close examination of US actions will uncover unreported or downplayed machinations that caused the conflict to begin with. In many instances, the US has been a major violator of human rights and a prime candidate for indictment of war crimes. Such, we believe, is the case in Yugoslavia.

The propaganda strategy used in this case, as elsewhere, is to shift our attention away from US culpability and toward a villain who is to bear full blame for the human catastrophe. In the case of Serbia, a War Crimes Tribunal of dubious legitimacy was created. This tribunal, which is funded by the US, will sit in judgment of Yugoslavian President Slobodan Milosovic and, predictably, condemn him for war crimes. Efforts to indict NATO and the US were not allowed by this tribunal.

WAMM's Yugoslavia Committee decided it was neither necessary nor helpful to resolve the degree of culpability of all the protagonists in the Balkans. What we know best about, and what we feel is our responsibility to reveal and redress, are the crimes committed by our own country.

We know from testimony, reliable reports, and the admission of our own leaders that the US broke many laws and continues to break them, waging an economic and military war against a people that were never a threat to us. We know who made the policy and who carried it out. These facts are not in dispute but have never been exposed to censure or even debate among the US public.

Like the upcoming WAMM-sponsored tribunal, several tribunals are being held throughout the US, sponsored by a variety of grassroots peace and justice organizations that are troubled by the silence about US culpability. There will be a final tribunal in Washington in the spring, utilizing testimony from around the country.

Yugoslavia Resources

On January 13, 2000, the WAMM Yugoslavia Committee screened the video "Yugoslavia: An Avoidable War." The video, named Best Social Documentary at the Independent International Film and Video Festival in New York City, is available for purchase from its producers. To receive the video, send your request and a $60 contribution to

Frontier Theatre and Film
PO Box 869
New York, NY 10021

The WAMM Yugoslavia committee plans to purchase the video for circulation from the WAMM office. For more information, call 612-827-5364.

International Action Center
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212-633-6646 (phone)
212-633-2889 (fax)
iacenter@iacenter.org
www.iacenter.org