Seven associations of war victims requested the competent BiH institutions to urgently review and cancel the court decisions that registered the names of political parties connected to the adjudicated war crimes and the legacy of joint criminal enterprises.
In a press release, they express deep concern over the fact that court decisions were made that approved the registration, i.e. the name change of political parties that use terms and names in their name associated with serious violations of international humanitarian law and legally established war crimes.
“We particularly point out the decision of the Municipal Court in Široki Brijeg, which registered the name ‘Croatian Party of Rights of BiH and Herceg Bosnia’, as well as the decision of the Basic Court in Bijeljina, which registered changes to the political organization ‘Serbian Radical Party Dr. Vojislav Šešelj’. We believe that the aforementioned decisions raise serious questions about their compatibility with the fundamental values on which Bosnia and Herzegovina, the European Convention on Human Rights, international humanitarian law, and the obligation to respect the final judgments of international courts rest.” according to the victims’ association.
As they explain, the name “Herceg Bosnia” cannot be viewed outside the historical and legal context of international judgments that dealt with the activities of political and military structures associated with that project. At the same time, the use of Vojislav Šešelj’s name in the name of a political party represents the glorification of a person legally convicted of war crimes, which further insults the dignity of the victims and their families.
The association points out that the changes to the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the Election Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina, have resulted in legal solutions that clearly define the relationship towards convicted war criminals and war crimes. For this reason, they consider it unacceptable that the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, directly or indirectly, through court registration give legitimacy to names that, for a large number of citizens, are painful memories of genocide, war crimes, persecutions, camps, ethnic cleansing and other serious violations of human rights.
“We remind you that peace, reconciliation and the building of a democratic society cannot be based on the glorification of persons convicted of war crimes or on the political rehabilitation of projects that were the subject of international court proceedings. Respect for victims must represent the minimum civilizational standard of every democratic society,” the association emphasizes.
Therefore, they require the competent institutions of BiH to urgently carry out a legal analysis of the aforementioned court decisions and their compliance with the Constitution of BiH, international law and public order, as well as to initiate appropriate procedures to review the legality of the registration of political entities whose names contain the names of legally convicted war criminals or terms related to policies that have been the subject of international court rulings.
They also demand that it be established whether there are legal grounds for canceling or changing disputed registrations, then ensure that future registrations of political organizations are in accordance with the principles of protecting human dignity, the rights of victims and preserving peace, as well as that, in cooperation with legislative institutions, they consider passing clear legal prohibitions on the glorification of war criminals through the names of political organizations and other legal entities.
The victims’ association says that they will inform domestic and international institutions, including the competent authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, international organizations for the protection of human rights, representatives of the European Union, the Council of Europe, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the Office of the High Representative (OHR).
“The victims of war crimes have the right to expect that the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina protect the truth, justice and dignity of the victims, and not to enable the public promotion of names and symbols that are associated with the most severe sufferings in the recent history of our country. We will never allow the adjudicated war crimes to be relativized, and their perpetrators to be glorified politically. Bosnia and Herzegovina must remain a society based on the rule of law, respect for court rulings, protection of human dignity and a culture of remembrance that respects the truth and protects the victims,” they state. in the statement of the Association of Victims and Witnesses of Genocide, the Movement Association “Mother Enclave Srebrenica and Žepa”, the Association “Women of Podrinja”, the Association of Mother Srebrenica, the Association of Women of Srebrenica, the Union of Civil War Victims of the Federation of BiH and the Association of Parents of Killed Children of the Siege of Sarajevo 1992 – 1995.
