Organizers of the Conference on the Srebrenica genocide, which will be held in Hague, canceled the invitation for the former UN translator in Srebrenica, Hasan Nuhanović, because his presence might represent a discomfort for the other participants.
The three day conference begins on Monday, and is organized by the Hague Institute for Global Justice and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. The aim of the conference is to reconstruct the events in Srebrenica from 1995.
Nuhanović said that he was surprised by this decision since he received his invitation a while ago.
“Last year in September, I received an email from the representative of the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, in which he informed me about the conference and said that it would be a great pleasure for them if I participate in this conference. Since the main topic of the conference is ‘The omissions in prevention of the genocide,’ I found it very interesting and I was interested to participate, “said Nuhanović.
The lawsuit against Holland as one of the reasons for the cancellation of invitation
He emphasized that some of the political and military officials, as well as some of representatives of the UN, from the period when the genocide happened in Srebrenica, agreed to participate in the conference.
“A month ago, I received an informal e-mail saying that it would be better for me to go to another conference, the one that will be held in New York, and that I should not come to Hague,” said Nuhanović, adding that personally it was more important for him to go to Hague.
Later on, Nuhanović got a phone call in which he was explained that his presence might be uncomfortable for some participants on the conference.
“That was the only explanation that I got. Honestly, I’m not just only one of the survivors, but I wrote a book as well, and I’m dealing with this topic for the past 20 years. However, this is not about me. It’s about the principle. It seems like my invitation was canceled because of my lawsuit against Holland or some other lawsuits that might happen in the future, “said Nuhanović.
Who is Mr. Nuhanovic?
Hasan Nuhanović was a UN Interpreter for the Dutchbat troops stationed in Srebrenica from 1992- 1995.
“They gave me the megaphone and told me to translate. They told me to tell the refugees to start leaving the compound in groups of five.”
“There were around 1,500 killed at Pilica. That’s what they say at the Hague tribunal. I read the statement of one of the murderers who said: “I couldn’t shoot anymore, my index finger was starting to get numb from so much killing. I was killing them for hours.” Someone, he says, had promised them five marks for each Muslim they killed that day. And he says that they made the drivers of the buses that brought the Muslims there kill at least a few so that they wouldn’t talk about it to anyone” adds Nuhanovic.
Hasan was present in the UN base when Bosnian Serb forces entered Srebrenica, and demanded the release of over 5,000 innocent refugees. His parents and brother had arrived in the UN base earlier, seeking shelter along with thousands of others from the continuous shelling and mortar fire from the advancing Bosnian Serb forces. Hasan’s brother, his father, and his mother were subsequently killed, with thousands of others. Following the loss of his family, Hasan became an active campaigner for truth and justice on behalf of other survivors and relatives of the victims. Hasan has since published books on Srebrenica, and is considered an authority on the events, which saw the worst crime committed on European soil since the Second World War.
The Connection between Mr. Nuhanovic and the Court
In this case, the precedent was established in the international law, which might cause certain consequences for the State of the Netherlands as well as for the peacekeeping missions in the world, as stated by the former U.N. interpreter in Srebrenica, Hasan Nuhanović, after the final verdict of the Supreme Court of the Netherlands which confirmed the responsibility of the state for the death of his brother and father, as well as the death of Rizo Mustafić.
Nuhanović stated that the verdict is a partially successful end of the battle which lasted for 11 years, adding that at the court in the Netherlands only “a certain kind of justice” was reached.
As the most important part of the verdict, Nuhanović emphasized the fact that it confirms the responsibility of the State of the Netherlands for events that happened 18 years ago in Potočari and UN base in that part of Srebrenica.
The President of Nasa Stranka on the Scandal in the Hague
“The argument that participants of the conference would not be able to speak freely if Nuhanović, who led the proceedings against the Netherlands, would attend the event, is not only absurd but also brings into question the commitment of the organizers and participants to the freedom of speech and expression. I understand that “too many” facts and the truth based on them might be slightly uncomfortable for those who are morally and legally responsible for it, but the theme of the Srebrenica genocide should be like that; not abstract but concrete, with names, dates and testimonies, and should provoke a strong feeling of responsibility in everyone. We can only hope that Srebrenica is impermissible, and that it will never happen again to anyone, “said Predrag Kojović, the President of “Naša Stranka.”
(Source: klix.ba)
