Life After Conviction at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia

Of the 92 persons convicted at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), 60 have already served their sentences and been released. Even though in post-conflict environments, the public behaviour of perpetrators can help counter (atrocity crime) denial, establish an authoritative version of the truth and contribute to sustainable reconciliation, we still know little about what happens once they return to their communities. This article is one of the first attempts to systematically map and understand what pathways the ICTY convicts take after release, and why. It finds that those who promote nationalist interpretations of the past and deny their responsibility and involvement in crimes are often hailed by receptive domestic audiences across the Western Balkans. They successfully use certain support networks, such as dominant political parties or military and war veterans’ organizations, to take back their place in public life. On the other hand, those convicts who have admitted their guilt and responsibility and do not promote a nationalist interpretation of the past often find themselves ostracized, living in poverty and seclusion.