Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2006

Natasa Kandic

By CARLA DEL PONTE

I first met Natasa Kandic in Pristina, Kosovo, at the end of October 1999, during my first visit to the former Yugoslavia. At the time, President Slobodan Milosevic's regime was refusing to co-operate with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, so I couldn't go to Belgrade. It was a complex and dangerous time there in Kosovo — just after the conflict and the arrival of the international forces. My office was collecting evidence about the crimes committed by all sides involved in the conflict. Access to witnesses — and their readiness to speak to us — was of paramount importance.

And here was Natasa Kandic, who came to Pristina from Serbia despite being exposed to a variety of threats on the way, to share her experience and provide information on specific crimes, and the situation in Kosovo and in Serbia. We spoke at length about the massive crimes committed against the Kosovo Albanians and also about the plight of the remaining Serbs, about hundreds of missing people. Her insights were invaluable.

Natasa's Humanitarian Law Center had been of enormous help to my office since 1994. But our face-to-face meeting impressed and inspired me, especially her courage, openness and genuine concern for the victims of war crimes. Since then we have met on many occasions — and I never cease being amazed by her energy, power of argument and depth of conviction. My investigators and legal staff have always been able to rely on her help and well-founded advice.

Natasa and I are very similar in character and attitude — despite the hate messages we both constantly receive, we never give up and never shut up. Being absolutely uncompromising in the face of serious human-rights violations is a connection with Natasa Kandic that I intensely enjoy. Natasa's work as a human-rights activist has garnered dozens of international awards. This isn't her first appearance as one of Time's heroes — she featured in 2003 — and in September 2005 she was given the title of honorary citizen of Sarajevo for her insistence on the truth about the genocide in Srebrenica.

Three years ago Natasa Kandic told Time that the "wall of denial is cracking." It is in no small part thanks to her efforts that witnesses are coming forward to ensure that truth be told, forcing the region to face up to its history.