A presentation by Ajla Škrbić, Technische Universität Dresden. This event is part of the Fundamental Rights Research Colloquium under the "Human Rights in Times of War" cluster hosted by the Centre for Fundamental Rights.
The lecture traces the arc from the Yugoslav unravelling to the contested post-conflict realities of today’s Balkans, presenting the region as a case study in how (not) to build a resilient post-conflict society. It examines the record of transitional justice, highlighting both the promise and the limitations of international and domestic prosecutions, as well as the politics of denial, heroization, and selective memory that undermine the social impact of legal outcomes—often with the tacit approval of external actors. Recent developments, including debates over accountability and mass civic mobilizations, reveal both the risks of democratic backsliding and the potential for renewal. The lecture concludes by distilling comparative lessons for ongoing and emerging conflicts, focusing on how to design transitional justice strategies that work with—rather than against—political realities; how to safeguard truth; and how to align legal processes with broader, socially transformative measures.
Ajla Škrbić is an associate professor of public international law from Bosnia and Herzegovina. From 2021 to 2023, she served as an Alexander von Humboldt Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Law at the Freie Universität Berlin. Since 2023, she has been working at the Technische Universität Dresden, where she teaches several courses at the Chair of International Law, European Law and Public Law.
Škrbić is a certified lecturer on international law for the Civil Service Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina. She was a fellow of the United Nations International Law Programme (2017) and a participant in the Women in International Law Mentoring Program (2022-2023) and the Lieber Society on the Law of Armed Conflict (2023) of the American Society of International Law. Škrbić has received several awards for her work, including the Danubius Young Scientist Award for Bosnia and Herzegovina from the Austrian Federal Ministry for Education, Science and Research and the Institute for the Danube Region and Central Europe (2017).
Her research interests encompass public international law, human rights, transitional justice, and democracy. Beyond academia, she frequently provides expert consultations to international and non-governmental organizations within her area of expertise, including the Council of Europe and the European Commission.
Prior registration is required. Registered attendees will receive the dial-in details prior to the event. Please register here.