Through an electronic petition number 1837 on the official website of the Parliament of Canada, a request was made to punish the denial of the Srebrenica genocide in Canada. The petition against the denial of Srebrenica genocide in Canada was initiated by the director of the Institute for the Research of Genocide Canada, Professor Emir Ramic. The petition was published on the Canadian Parliament’s website on September 10 of this year and will be open for signatures for the next 120 days, or until January 10, 2019. All Canadian citizens living in Canada and abroad can and are encouraged to sign petition 1837, including underage children, under the condition that they have their own e-mail address. After the signing process, that is, if at least 500 signatures are collected and which are required for a petition to be successful, it will be ready for the reading at the Canadian Parliament.The reading of the petition 1837 will be made by the sponsor of the petition Brian Masse, who will then petition the Government of Canada to give him an answer within 45 days of receiving the request. The strategic assumption is that the higher the number of signatures for the petition the greater impact it will have on the response and the decision of the government.
Petition initiator professor Emir Ramic points out that the legal basis for the criminal sanctioning of the denial of Srebrenica genocide in Canada is a final verdict of the international tribunals in The Hague, a final resolution of more than 30 state parliaments in the world, and in particular two resolutions on Srebrenica genocide adopted by the Canadian Parliament.
The moral basis for such a law are the permanent exhibit of the Srebrenica genocide at the Canadian Human Rights Museum, unveiling of first memorial feature in diaspora for the victims of the Srebrenica genocide in the Canadian city of Windsor, the decision of the Canadian Government to mark the May 31st the World Day of White Ribbon, the distribution of the Srebrenica Flower to all members of the Canadian Parliament and the study of Srebrenica genocide at the Canadian schools. By passing a law banning the denial of genocide in Srebrenica, Canada would make a major contribution to the truth and justice and thus make a major step in punishing the deniers of Srebrenica genocide as well it will set an example that the punishment is the best prevention in the fight against genocide in the world. In the end, Professor Ramic invites all citizens of Canada and Canadians abroad, especially those originating from Bosnia and Herzegovina, to sign the petition 1837 in order to contribute to the truth and justice, and also to combat the deniers of genocide and forgery of historical, scientific and judicial facts about the genocide in Srebrenica.
The petition can be signed here.
