BAKIR IZETBEGOVIC Serbian president Nikolic has offended Bosniaks
The denial of the genocide in Srebrenica, which was established by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, is not the path of cooperation and renewal of trust; on the contrary, it is a source of new tensions and misunderstandings
Chairman of the BiH Presidency Bakir Izetbegovic said that the statement of the newly elected president of Serbia, Tomislav Nikolic – made on the first official day of taking office – that genocide was not committed in Srebrenica is untrue and offensive to Bosniaks, above all to the survivors of genocide in Srebrenica.
A statement from Izetbegovic’s office said that Nikolic’s denial of genocide casts a shadow and seriously undermines the credibility of its pro-European rhetoric and public statements in which he advocates for a correct relationship in the region and cooperation among neighboring countries.
“The denial of the genocide in Srebrenica, which was established by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, is not the path of cooperation and renewal of trust; on the contrary, it is a source of new tensions and misunderstandings. With statements that Vukovar is a ‘Serbian town’, and an explicit statement that there was no genocide in Srebrenica, Nikolic unfortunately shows that he is not yet ready to confront the truth about events in the recent past,” Izetbegovic said.
“Facing Serb leaders and the Serbian nation with the truth about crimes committed in Bosnia and Herzegovina is the way to improve relations and create opportunities for the future of the region, especially relations between Serbia and Bosnia,” said the Chairman of BiH Presidency Bakir Izetbegovic.
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OLD HABITS DIE HARD FOR TOMISLAV NIKOLIC There was no genocide in Srebrenica
Asked whether he would accept the invitation of Mufti Muamer Zukorlic to visit Srebrenica and condemn the genocide, Nikolic said that something like this probably wouldn’t happen
“In Srebrenica there was no genocide. In Srebrenica there was a great crime committed by some members of the Serbian people, who need to be found, brought to trial, and punished,” newly elected President of Serbia Tomislav Nikolic told Montenegro Television.
Asked whether he would accept the invitation of Mufti Muamer Zukorlic to visit Srebrenica and condemn the genocide, Nikolic said that
something like this probably wouldn’t happen, because his predecessor has already done it.
“If the President of Serbia Boris Tadic was in Srebrenica and condemned the crime, if the Serbian Parliament condemned the crime in
Srebrenica, why would I constantly reheat that question,” he said, adding that it is difficult to prove genocide in court, Blic reports.
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SOCIETY FOR THREATENED PEOPLES Franc Kos defense offends the victims of Srebrenica
The Society for Threatened Peoples has condemned the statement of Kos’s additional defense counsel Predrag Drinic, who said that the killings in Srebrenica in July 1995 “can’t be characterized as a genocide”
The Society for Threatened Peoples section for Bosnia and Herzegovina thinks that the defense of Franc Kos, who is accused for crimes in
Srebrenica, insults the victims of Srebrenica by denying genocide there.
The Society for Threatened Peoples has condemned the statement of Kos’s additional defense counsel Predrag Drinic, who said that the killings in Srebrenica in July 1995 “can’t be characterized as a genocide.”
“It is terrifying that the lawyers like Predrag Drinic are defenders of the policy of denial, minimization and tabooization of the genocide that doesn’t recognize the verdict of International Court of Justice in The Hague which clearly says that Army of Republika Srpska has committed genocide by killing 8,372 people from Srebrenica,” Fadila Memisevic, head of the BiH-based section of the Society for Threatened Peoples, said.
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THE HAGUE – BOSNIAN VICTIMS REPRESENTATIVES MEET BRAMMERTZ For Mladic, even 200 hours is not enough
In case the Tribunal would once again present evidence that was presented in previous trials, it would reduce the time available for the presentation of new evidence
Representatives of 12 victims’ associations from Bosnia and Herzegovina, who came to the Hague to attend the start of the trial of Ratko Mladic, met with Serge Brammertz. The day before the trial they had a meeting with Brammertz, Chief Prosecutor of the Hague Tribunal.
The worry
The first question that the representatives of the victims’ associations asked was why the Trial Chamber of the Hague Tribunal
(ICTY) reached the decision that the prosecution will be presenting evidence against Mladic for a total of 200 work hours, and whether the evidence already used as basis for convictions by the Hague Tribunal in previous trials will be presented once again.
In case the Tribunal would once again present evidence that was presented in previous trials, it would reduce the time available for the presentation of new evidence.
”The Chief Prosecutor told us that he hopes that the evidence already used as a basis for convictions by the Hague Tribunal in previous trials will not be presented once again, and that he has already sent a letter requesting the same to the Council,” Subasic said. He has not yet received an answer.
Because Brammertz and ICTY President Theodor Meron next month must submit a report to the UN Security Council, the victims were interested in whether they will repeatedly request of the former Tribunal President Patrick Robinson, who asked from UN to establish a fund from which should be paid reparations for the victims, whether he will press forward with this.
They also asked about where the archives of the Hague Tribunal would be stored. They repeated the earlier request that the archives should be transferred to Sarajevo. The Prosecutor told them that the archive copy will be in Sarajevo, Zagreb and Belgrade, and that original archives will be kept by the UN. But he added that he would in his speech convey their demands to the Security Council.
Will Perisic be free?
The victims also pointed out that they are worried because they have arrived at the information that many representatives of the international community want to engage the judgment against Momcilo Perisic, former Chief of the General Staff of the Yugoslav Army.
Brammertz said that this is not true, and that it did not come to such information.
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Srebrenica survivors emotionally exhausted, in tears: He will never be judged
Meanwhile, accidentally or not, there is no TV signal in Potocari
The surviving mothers, wives and sisters of the victims of genocide today have gathered in the Association of Mothers of Srebrenica and Zepa to watch the trial in the Hague Tribunal of Ratko Mladic.
Members of the association, in tears and emotionally shaken, followed the trial, with the hope that justice would finally come for them, while others were disappointed because they believe that Mladic will have the same fate as the indicted war criminal Slobodan Milosevic, who died before his conviction.
”He will never be judged. I’m very disappointed. You see how they’ve fixed him up nicely. I’d like most if all his family had come to see the mothers of Srebrenica, to see how it is for those who have lost sons, husbands, fathers,” said Ramiza Gurzic, who lost two sons, her husband, and most of the rest of her family.
Gurzic says how this trial means nothing to her, and adds, “If they wanted they would first condemn Karadzic and Mladic, and then everyone else. Thus, I just hope that the same fate that befell Slobodan Milosevic, who died in prison, would not befall Mladic.”
Fatima Mujic from Srebrenica said she hopes that the truth about the crimes committed in Srebrenica and other parts of Bosnia will finally come to light, and justice will be satisfied.
“For me, this trial means that now it is known that Mladic has committed a crime and killed our children,” said Mujic, adding, “I hope the trial will bring justice, but for us it certainly won’t ease the pain”.
Mujic lost three sons, a husband, two brothers, her father and mother, as well as numerous family in Srebrenica. In addition, her 13-year-old child was taken away in Potocari.
Meanwhile, accidentally or not, there is no TV signal in Potocari.
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US AMBASSADOR IN BiH IN VISIT TO SREBRENICA Moon: Elections in Srebrenica by electoral law
The US Ambassador laid flowers at the memorial feature in the Potocari Memorial Center and honored the victims of genocide
US Ambassador in Bosnia and Herzegovina Patrick Moon is on an all-day visit to Srebrenica.
Ambassador Moon spoke individually with representatives of local governments. The inevitable topic was the upcoming local elections.
The US Ambassador laid flowers at the memorial feature in the Potocari Memorial Center and honored the victims of genocide.
Mothers of Srebrenica put forward a proposal and asked Ambassador Moon for international community to make possible the right to vote for all citizens of Srebrenica according to the list from 1991.
Ambassador Moon said that the next local elections would be implemented by the current electoral law.
“The future mayor, no matter to which nation he belongs, should fulfill all commitments in a responsible way. The United States of America expects that, no matter who will be elected mayor of this municipality, they must work in the interest of all citizens of the municipality. The new mayor will completely show respect to the Potocari Memorial Center.
During the day, Moon met with representatives of international organizations, Mothers of Srebrenica, and at the Association of Friends of Srebrenica he talked with young people.
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A Cry from the Grave video tells the story of the Srebrenica massacre of 1995
A Cry from the Grave tells the story of the Srebrenica massacre of 1995, in which the Bosnian Serb army killed an estimated 7,000 Bosnian Muslims.
It follows hour by hour the story of the killings. Through the testimony of survivors and relatives of those who died it explores the pain felt when no one is brought to justice.There are interviews with investigators from the UN-sponsored court at The Hague and from the UN special prosecutor.
But the underlying message of the film is bleak indeed – no matter what is done, it will never be enough. A Cry from the Grave has won numerous prizes. It has been shown at the UN, and it was used during a war crimes trial at The Hague.
Hoare: Anti-Semitism, racism and Srebrenica genocide denial
The justice or injustice of a cause may in large part be measured by the ethics displayed by those who uphold it. The ongoing campaign to whitewash the former regimes of Slobodan Milosevic and Radovan Karadzic and to justify their genocidal crimes against the Bosniaks is about as unworthy a cause as it is possible to imagine; consequently, the people who wage it do so in the most dishonest and malicious manner possible. Their campaign is fundamentally an expression of hatred – for Bosniaks, Croats, Albanians, anti-fascist Serbs, Jews and others who opposed the genocide. So their tactics are of the most hateful kind, involving systematic character assassination and racist and anti-Semitic abuse of those who speak about the genocide and the ideology that gave rise to it.
Continue reading on:
http://greatersurbiton.wordpress.com/2011/03/24/anti-semitism-racism-and-srebrenica-genocide-denial/
Anti-Semitism, racism and Srebrenica genocide denial
Anti-Semitism, racism and Srebrenica genocide denial
March 24, 2011
Source: Originally Published on March 24, 2011 in Greater Surbiton Blog, by Dr. Marko Attila Hoare.
The justice or injustice of a cause may in large part be measured by the ethics displayed by those who uphold it. The ongoing campaign to whitewash the former regimes of Slobodan Milosevic and Radovan Karadzic and to justify their genocidal crimes against the Bosniaks is about as unworthy a cause as it is possible to imagine; consequently, the people who wage it do so in the most dishonest and malicious manner possible. Their campaign is fundamentally an expression of hatred – for Bosniaks, Croats, Albanians, anti-fascist Serbs, Jews and others who opposed the genocide. So their tactics are of the most hateful kind, involving systematic character assassination and racist and anti-Semitic abuse of those who speak about the genocide and the ideology that gave rise to it.
Proclaiming Srebrenica Genocide Remembrance Day in Washington State facebook
Srebrenica
Srebencia, the day and place where I lost any hope in the UN and it Peace missions…….the day July 11,1993, the place Bosnia in the middle of the Civil war there….in a city called Srebrenica, that is the day when 300 UN peace keepers who had been put into place by the UN to protect the Bosnian Muslim Refuges who were being chased and persecuted by the Serb army around them. they were told they were safe and in good hands until the Serb army entered the city and started to seprate the men and boys from the woman and young children…..Dutch Peace Keepers stood by and watched as families were separated into two group one of just men and boys and another of woman and boy mostly under the age of 16…..one group was sent out of the town on a buses to another place the second taken out and shot execution style…..8,343 people were executed by the Serbs who had come into the town and occupied it….the UN peacekeepers were their to protect the innocent civilians and they did nothing while families were separated and they had some idea something was afoot, they had guns and power to stop the separation and order the Serbs out but they did nothing…in fact the practically stood by and did nothing but record the event…..these people were put their to protect people who had no defense and they did nothing because ” they were under no immediate threat…” yet they did have some idea that the people who they were supposed to be protecting were. This is the day and Place where I lost faith in the UN and it peacekeepers. Infact I lost faith in the UN during the Bosnian Civil war.
I wasn’t their but I watched on the news evening and saw the war and saw the people who were hurt by it. ( in fact I know people who were affected by it!) I heard of the Camps for Ethnic cleansing and I watched as the UN and the West did nothing for almost 4 years…. The Dayton Peace accord came too late for these and thousands of others….this is why I believe that military force should be used to stop Genocide in countries before Ethnic cleansing takes too many lives.
