The Canadian Institute for Genocide Research (IGK) filed a criminal complaint against the mayor of Banja Luka, Draško Stanivuković, for denying the genocide in Srebrenica.
According to them, Stanivuković knowingly, deliberately and publicly denied the genocide in Srebrenica, which was determined by final judgments of international and national courts, with the aim of provoking inter-ethnic intolerance, discord and hatred.
“The suspect thus caused pain to the surviving victims of the genocide, degraded the judicial, scientific and historical truth about the genocide, disparaged justice and humiliated international law and international institutions,” say the Canadian Genocide Research Institute.
The report, they say, followed after Stanivuković was a guest at Klix Studio where he denied the genocide in Srebrenica.
The host of Klix Studio, Emela Burdžović, repeatedly warned Stanivuković not to deny the genocide and reminded him of binding international judgments.
In the explanation of the report, the IGK stated, among other things, that Stanivuković committed a criminal offense under Article 145a paragraph (3) of the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Denial of the genocide in Srebrenica by the suspect is an unambiguous and conscious violation of Article 145a paragraph (3) of the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Article 145a paragraph (3) of the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina reads:
“Whoever publicly approves, denies, grossly minimizes or tries to justify the crime of genocide, crime against humanity or war crime determined by a final judgment in accordance with the Charter of the International Military Tribunal attached to the London Agreement of August 8, 1945 or the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia or the International of a criminal court or a court in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and is directed against a group of persons or a member of a group determined with regard to race, skin color, religion, origin, or national or ethnic affiliation, in a manner that could incite violence or hatred directed against such a group of persons or a member of such a group shall be punished by imprisonment from six months to five years.”
IGK asked the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina to undertake all actions and activities provided for by the Law and to initiate criminal proceedings against Stanivuković in accordance with the Law.
