As part of its program of assisting Serbian judicial and criminal procedure reform efforts, the U.S. Department of Justice (U.S. DoJ) office at the U.S. Embassy Belgrade organized and sponsored a study visit to the United States for Serbian high ranking officials including Minister of Justice Snezana Malovic, Supreme Court President Nata Mesarovic, Republic Public Prosecutor Slobodan Radovanovic, War Crimes Prosecutor Vladimir Vukcevic, Organized Crime Prosecutor Miljko Radisavljevic, Director of the Police Milorad Veljovic and members of the Ministry of Justice working group that is drafting the new criminal procedure code.

During its eight-day visit in the United States, the Serbian delegation visited both Nashville, Tennessee and Washington, D.C.

The delegation spoke with U.S. Department of Justice leadership and senior Department of State officials, as well as with prominent judges, prosecutors, investigators and defense attorneys about justice reform currently ongoing in Serbia, concepts that can be transferred from the U.S. criminal justice system, and U.S. support for Serbian justice reform.

The purpose of the study visit was to assist Serbian justice and law enforcement officials in successfully developing and implementing ongoing justice sector and criminal procedure reform by exposing them to the functioning of the U.S. justice system in general, and the criminal justice system in particular, and by enabling them to discuss the ongoing reform with their counterparts in the U.S.

During their stay in Nashville, the Serbian delegation discussed the organization and functioning of the U.S. criminal justice system with, among others, a Tennessee Supreme Court justice, a federal appellate judge, federal district judges, the Tennessee Attorney General, the present and former U.S. Attorneys, assistant U.S. Attorneys, FBI agents, and the Federal Public Defender. Members of the delegation were able not only to have discussions with their U.S. colleagues, but also to experience the functioning of the U.S. criminal justice system by observing criminal proceedings in federal courtrooms.

The delegation’s visit to Washington D.C. was highlighted by meetings with the U.S. Attorney General, Eric H. Holder Jr., and the Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division, Lanny A. Breuer. These meetings focused on the reform of the Serbian justice system, continuing U.S. support in this area, and closer cooperation between the two countries. The Serbian delegation also met with other high-ranking U.S. State Department and Department of Justice officials, with whom they discussed concrete cooperation issues, such as cooperation in international legal assistance, the fight against organized crime and war crimes prosecution.