The organization “Voice for Bosnia” from Switzerland filed reports against the Swiss magazine Weltwoche over an article about Ratko Mladić.
The organization “Voice for Bosnia”, based in Switzerland, reacted to articles published in the weekly magazine Weltwoche regarding war criminal Ratko Mladić and submitted complaints to competent institutions for media ethics and the prevention of discrimination, primarily to the Swiss Press Council (Schweizer Presserat) and the Federal Commission against Racism (EKR). At the same time, it requested from the editorial team of the weekly Weltwoche the publication of a rebuttal, specifically, the right of reply and the stance of the Bosniak/Bosnian community regarding the controversial claims in the article “Wer war Ratko Mladić?” (“Who Was Ratko Mladić?”).
As a reminder, this is an article by Srđa Trifković, which the portal Radiosrajevo.ba reported in detail in recent days.
Concerning Narrative
The organization’s statement notes that many members of the Bosnian and Herzegovinian diaspora in Switzerland expressed concern regarding the way in which the article portrayed Ratko Mladić, the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Bosnian Muslims – Bosniaks.
According to the organization’s statements, what is particularly problematic are the sections that, as they say, relativize responsibility for war crimes and genocide committed in Bosnia and Herzegovina, while creating a misleading image of Bosniaks. They emphasized in their address that the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, as well as the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, convicted Ratko Mladić with a final, binding judgment for genocide, crimes against humanity, and violations of the laws and customs of war.
Representatives of the organization emphasize that linking Bosniaks with narratives about the alleged “Islamization of Europe” is particularly concerning.
“Such narratives have been present for years in Islamophobic and far-right circles, contributing to the creation of prejudice against peaceful Muslim communities in Europe. It is familiar that similar ideological constructions were used as part of the justification for extremist violence, including Anders Behring Breivik’s manifesto,” the statement reads. The organization believes that media outlets bear a special responsibility to report on sensitive historical and societal topics in a balanced manner and in accordance with professional standards. For this reason, it submitted petitions to journalism institutions and bodies dealing with protection against discrimination and hate speech in Switzerland.
The complaint states that the controversial articles could contribute to stigmatization of the Bosniak community and damage mutual trust among diverse ethnic and religious groups. In addition to institutional complaints. The organization “Voice for Bosnia” submitted a personal request to the editorial board of Weltwoche for the publication of a Gegendarstellung—that is, a reply from the Bosnian community. The aim of the request, as they stated, is to enable readers to familiarize themselves with the other side of the story, as well as with the views of war victims and their descendants.
“We are not seeking censorship or the restriction of media freedom. On the contrary, we believe that freedom of expression also entails responsibility towards facts, as well as the opportunities for those affected by certain claims to receive the right of reply,” said the President of the organization, Senad Ušanović.
“It Is Our Duty to Preserve the Truth”
At the conclusion of the statement, it was highlighted that the Voice for Bosnia will continue to monitor the case and inform the public on eventual decisions by the competent authorities and the response from the editorial team of Weltwoche. The organization also invited all relevant social actors to oppose the attempts to relativize war crimes and spread narratives that could lead to the discrimination of the Bosniak community. According to them, preserving the memory of victims and fighting against all forms of hate and discrimination remain an enduring duty of a democratic society.
The organization Voice for Bosnia recalls that for several years it has been actively organizing the commemoration of the International Day of Remembrance of the Srebrenica Genocide, gathering the representatives of the Bosnian and Herzegovinian diaspora, the Swiss institutions, political representatives, religious communities, and civil society organizations.
At the same time, every year, the organization calls on the Bosnian and Herzegovinian diaspora worldwide to commemorate this date with dignity and preserve the memory of the genocide victims. The Voice for Bosnia emphasizes that institutional action against genocide denial, historical revisionism and discrimination against Bosniaks is one of their core activities.
According to them, attempts to relativize adjudicated crimes, stigmatize Bosniak people, and spread unfounded stereotypes not only represent an attack against the dignity of the victims, but also serve as a threat to democratic values, mutual trust and social cohesion in Europe. Therefore, the organization calls on all citizens, associations, and institutions to respond to such occurrences with arguments, responsibility, and through legally established institutional mechanisms.
“It is our duty to preserve the truth about the genocide in Srebrenica, pay tribute to the victims, and oppose every form of denial, hate, and discrimination. Only through open dialogue, facts, and institutional action can we build a society based on respect for human rights and the dignity of every individual,” concluded representatives of the organization Voice for Bosnia.
