With the start of the new school year in Republika Srpska (RS), the curriculum for the History subject in the ninth grade of elementary schools has been changed. The introduction of a new topic, “RS and the Defensive Homeland War,” includes lessons on the circumstances and significance of the creation of the Army of the RS (VRS), the most important military operations, and similar topics. The curriculum also includes learning about Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic as heroes.
The United States (U.S.) Embassy in our country stated that it is irresponsible to politicize education, and the new curriculum in RS has also been discussed by the High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Christian Schmidt, and the Vice President of RS, Camil Durakovic.
“Why impose historical facts that are not true? I believe this is primarily because of the convictions of these criminals, who have been sentenced and are serving their terms in prisons across Europe. The Prosecutor’s Office of BiH has grounds to initiate proceedings against those who worked on the revision or supplementation of this curriculum, as well as against those who will officially endorse it,” said Durakovic.
On June 8th, 2021, the International Mechanism for Criminal Courts (IMCM) issued a second-instance verdict confirming the life sentence of the criminal Ratko Mladic for the genocide in Srebrenica, the persecution of Bosniaks and Croats, terrorizing the citizens of Sarajevo and taking members of UNPROFOR as hostages.
The Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals’ appeals chamber convicted former Bosnian Serb President Radovan Karadzic of responsibility for some of the worst wartime crimes in Europe since World War II.
The appeal verdict confirmed Karadzic’s initial conviction and increased his sentence from 40 years to life in prison, citing the gravity of his crimes, which judge Vagn Prusse Joensen said were of “an unprecedented scale and cruelty”.
