SARAJEVO, July 10 (FENA) – As we approach the commemoration of the 27th anniversary of the genocide in Srebrenica, my thoughts are with the mothers of Srebrenica whose husbands and sons were murdered, who were forcibly displaced and whose whole world was destroyed, said at the beginning of the interview with FENA a Professor of Philosophy and Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Southern Connecticut State University, David Pettigrew.

While waiting for their loved ones to be located, exhumed and identified, they were hit with hate speech, denial of genocide and glorification of war criminals, and now some of the mothers are leaving this world not knowing when their husbands or sons or other relatives will be found and identified.

Although in such pain and sorrow, the mothers consistently inspired the world with their courage to fight for the truth about the genocide, to advocate the establishment of the Srebrenica Memorial Center and the cemetery, to testify in legal proceedings to help bring those responsible for the crimes to justice, to initiate legal action against the Netherlands for its responsibility and to shed light on the darkness with their constant resistance against the denial of crimes and the glorification of war criminals. These are just some of their achievements, says this distinguished professor.

“And while they bore so much pain, mothers did so much for us and for the truth. Their moral leadership is something of a legend. The mothers and other survivors knew in 2000 that they wanted to establish a memorial place and hold an annual commemoration in Potočari. It was the last place where many of them saw their loved ones,” says Pettigrew.

He reminded of the struggle they went through to make it happen 22 years ago. The then high representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Wolfgang Petritsch, was concerned that a violent incident could occur in Srebrenica because there were documented threats, as well as actual attacks on returnees, and an initial agreement was reached among international officials to hold the commemoration in 2000 in Sarajevo.

Although the agreement was already in place, the former ambassador of the United States of America to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Thomas Miller, changed his mind because he wanted to support the hope of mothers and other survivors and hold a commemoration in Potočari.

He contacted the High Representative to inform him that he had decided to go to the commemoration in Potočari, and insisted that he would go alone if necessary. When Pettigrew asked Miller about it, he said “Professor, sometimes you have to do the right thing”. He felt that he had the support of the former US Secretary of State Madeline Albright and Richard Holbrooke, the American diplomat who was also the main mediator for reaching a peace agreement in BiH, for such a thing.

Thus, in 2000, with the help of the moral conscience of Ambassador Miller, the commemoration was held in Potočari, with numerous risks, but also with the presence of international figures and government leaders, including the first president of the Presidency of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Alija Izetbegović.

Professor Pettigrew recalls that human rights activist Peter Lippman, who was present, reported that a convoy of about 50 busloads of survivors was escorted by SFOR, along with plainclothes police from the Federation of BiH and a vehicle of the RS police.

“There is no doubt that the important moral decision of Ambassador Miller to support the desire of the mothers and other survivors to hold a commemoration in Potočari helped to provide key support for the establishment of the Memorial Center and the cemetery,” Pettigrew points out, and, he adds, another person that played a crucial role in achieving that goal was a genocide survivor, Hasan Nuhanović.

Within a few months, High Representative Petritsch issued the first of four decisions that would formally establish the area as the Srebrenica Memorial Center and the cemetery. Successive decisions by High Representatives Paddy Ashdown and Christian Schwarz-Schilling further secured the site and established the Memorial Center as a matter of law.

As Ambassador Miller was inspired by the moral courage and leadership of the mothers of Srebrenica, this was also the case with the former high representative in BiH, Valentin Inzko, who imposed amendments to the Criminal Code that prohibit the denial of genocide and the glorification of war criminals in 2021.

“That decision was largely motivated by a sense of moral obligation to protect mothers and other survivors from the retraumatizing effects of genocide denial. It was also motivated by his clear understanding that a denial is a form of hate speech that can cause repeat crimes. Inzko’s decision was historic because it reaffirmed the primacy of the rule of law despite widespread impunity in the entity of Republika Srpska,” says Pettigrew.

Now that the law against genocide denial and glorification of war criminals is in place, there is still a failure to prosecute hate speech and genocide denial, says Pettigrew.

Therefore, he emphasizes that it is up to the current High Representative Christian Schmidt to use the resources of his office to motivate the competent authorities to investigate and process complaints of hate speech and denial of genocide, which can be done by appointing a team of special international prosecutors.

“Schmidt could provide further important leadership if he pressures the authorities in Kalinovik to remove the mural of war criminal Ratko Mladić that greets all that come to that town. The glorification of any convicted war criminal would be unacceptable in any city in the civilized world. The mural in Kalinovik retraumatizes the survivors and must be removed,” the professor asserts.

He also points out that the Srebrenica Memorial Center, for which the mothers and others advocated, must serve as a model for the high representative for the establishment of similar memorial sites, centers and museums at Barutni magacin, Keraterm, Koštana Hospital, in Omarska, Trnopolje, Vilina Vlas and other places of war crimes where such memorials are still prohibited.

“Schmidt can start working with victims’ associations, such as “Istina Kalinovik 92″, to establish memorials and be remembered as a high representative who firmly established a culture of memory in BiH that will educate future generations and prevent future crimes. Such an initiative would give hope for the healing of the society,” underlined Pettigrew.

Such initiatives by the High Representative, he believes, would be an appropriate way to honor the tireless commitment of mothers to tell the truth about the genocide since it is the responsibility of all to honor their courage in resisting the denial of the genocide, affirming the human right to the truth and ensuring that the victims are never forgotten.

SARAJEVO, July 10 (FENA) – As we approach the commemoration of the 27th anniversary of the genocide in Srebrenica, my thoughts are with the mothers of Srebrenica whose husbands and sons were murdered, who were forcibly displaced and whose whole world was destroyed, said at the beginning of the interview with FENA a Professor of Philosophy and Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Southern Connecticut State University, David Pettigrew.

While waiting for their loved ones to be located, exhumed and identified, they were hit with hate speech, denial of genocide and glorification of war criminals, and now some of the mothers are leaving this world not knowing when their husbands or sons or other relatives will be found and identified.

Although in such pain and sorrow, the mothers consistently inspired the world with their courage to fight for the truth about the genocide, to advocate the establishment of the Srebrenica Memorial Center and the cemetery, to testify in legal proceedings to help bring those responsible for the crimes to justice, to initiate legal action against the Netherlands for its responsibility and to shed light on the darkness with their constant resistance against the denial of crimes and the glorification of war criminals. These are just some of their achievements, says this distinguished professor.

“And while they bore so much pain, mothers did so much for us and for the truth. Their moral leadership is something of a legend. The mothers and other survivors knew in 2000 that they wanted to establish a memorial place and hold an annual commemoration in Potočari. It was the last place where many of them saw their loved ones,” says Pettigrew.

He reminded of the struggle they went through to make it happen 22 years ago. The then high representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Wolfgang Petritsch, was concerned that a violent incident could occur in Srebrenica because there were documented threats, as well as actual attacks on returnees, and an initial agreement was reached among international officials to hold the commemoration in 2000 in Sarajevo.

Although the agreement was already in place, the former ambassador of the United States of America to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Thomas Miller, changed his mind because he wanted to support the hope of mothers and other survivors and hold a commemoration in Potočari.

He contacted the High Representative to inform him that he had decided to go to the commemoration in Potočari, and insisted that he would go alone if necessary. When Pettigrew asked Miller about it, he said “Professor, sometimes you have to do the right thing”. He felt that he had the support of the former US Secretary of State Madeline Albright and Richard Holbrooke, the American diplomat who was also the main mediator for reaching a peace agreement in BiH, for such a thing.

Thus, in 2000, with the help of the moral conscience of Ambassador Miller, the commemoration was held in Potočari, with numerous risks, but also with the presence of international figures and government leaders, including the first president of the Presidency of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Alija Izetbegović.

Professor Pettigrew recalls that human rights activist Peter Lippman, who was present, reported that a convoy of about 50 busloads of survivors was escorted by SFOR, along with plainclothes police from the Federation of BiH and a vehicle of the RS police.

“There is no doubt that the important moral decision of Ambassador Miller to support the desire of the mothers and other survivors to hold a commemoration in Potočari helped to provide key support for the establishment of the Memorial Center and the cemetery,” Pettigrew points out, and, he adds, another person that played a crucial role in achieving that goal was a genocide survivor, Hasan Nuhanović.

Within a few months, High Representative Petritsch issued the first of four decisions that would formally establish the area as the Srebrenica Memorial Center and the cemetery. Successive decisions by High Representatives Paddy Ashdown and Christian Schwarz-Schilling further secured the site and established the Memorial Center as a matter of law.

As Ambassador Miller was inspired by the moral courage and leadership of the mothers of Srebrenica, this was also the case with the former high representative in BiH, Valentin Inzko, who imposed amendments to the Criminal Code that prohibit the denial of genocide and the glorification of war criminals in 2021.

“That decision was largely motivated by a sense of moral obligation to protect mothers and other survivors from the retraumatizing effects of genocide denial. It was also motivated by his clear understanding that a denial is a form of hate speech that can cause repeat crimes. Inzko’s decision was historic because it reaffirmed the primacy of the rule of law despite widespread impunity in the entity of Republika Srpska,” says Pettigrew.

Now that the law against genocide denial and glorification of war criminals is in place, there is still a failure to prosecute hate speech and genocide denial, says Pettigrew.

Therefore, he emphasizes that it is up to the current High Representative Christian Schmidt to use the resources of his office to motivate the competent authorities to investigate and process complaints of hate speech and denial of genocide, which can be done by appointing a team of special international prosecutors.

“Schmidt could provide further important leadership if he pressures the authorities in Kalinovik to remove the mural of war criminal Ratko Mladić that greets all that come to that town. The glorification of any convicted war criminal would be unacceptable in any city in the civilized world. The mural in Kalinovik retraumatizes the survivors and must be removed,” the professor asserts.

He also points out that the Srebrenica Memorial Center, for which the mothers and others advocated, must serve as a model for the high representative for the establishment of similar memorial sites, centers and museums at Barutni magacin, Keraterm, Koštana Hospital, in Omarska, Trnopolje, Vilina Vlas and other places of war crimes where such memorials are still prohibited.

“Schmidt can start working with victims’ associations, such as “Istina Kalinovik 92″, to establish memorials and be remembered as a high representative who firmly established a culture of memory in BiH that will educate future generations and prevent future crimes. Such an initiative would give hope for the healing of the society,” underlined Pettigrew.

Such initiatives by the High Representative, he believes, would be an appropriate way to honor the tireless commitment of mothers to tell the truth about the genocide since it is the responsibility of all to honor their courage in resisting the denial of the genocide, affirming the human right to the truth and ensuring that the victims are never forgotten.