David Pettigrew, a philosophy professor at Southern Connecticut State University, is visiting Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). Over the next few days, he will visit various sites of atrocities across the country. He gave an interview in Gorazde.
Interview question: “Professor Pettigrew, what is the reason for your visit to Gorazde?”
“All of this is part of my efforts to witness the truth about the genocide and aggression from the 1990s and to find ways to honor the memory of the victims. Here, I visited the memorial to the children killed in Gorazde, but I also have a personal reason, as a friend of mine is a war child from Gorazde, Vildana Bijedic, and I thought it was important to come here with her. As we walked through the city, she met friends from her school days; it was very emotional,” he explained.
Interview question: “How would you describe the current situation in the country, especially after the adoption of the United Nations (UN) Resolution on Genocide?”
“It seems to me that the political leaders of Republika Srpska (RS) and Serbia have overreacted, behaving quite childishly, especially with the adoption of the Declaration on the “All-Serbian Assembly,” which in a way revives the SANU Memorandum from the 1980s. I find that quite concerning. I believe it requires a serious response from the international community,” Pettigrew said.
Interview question: “Were you part of the July 11th commemoration at the UN headquarters?”
“Yes, I am grateful that Ambassador Lagumdzija invited me, as this was the first official commemoration of the Srebrenica genocide at the UN General Assembly. I had never been there before, and it was very emotional. There were great speeches by Almasa Salihovic, Ambassador Lagumdzija, the Sarajevo Mufti, and the UN representative for genocide prevention. It was very important,” he stated.
Interview question: “Have you had activities in Connecticut?”
“Later that day, I returned to Connecticut, where we held our second annual remembrance day for the Srebrenica genocide. We also passed a law designating July 22nd as a day of remembrance for the BiH genocide. Around 800 people attended, and we raised the Srebrenica flower flag at the city hall, where it stayed for seven days, along with the flag of BiH, which was also raised in the city headquarters during the day,” he emphasized.
Interview question: “How important is the UN Resolution on the Srebrenica Genocide?”
“In terms of transitional justice and remembrance, it is very important. Part of the resolution involves numerous educational activities, raising awareness about the genocide. My job as an educator is to raise awareness of the truth, ensuring that the victims are not forgotten. Therefore, the resolution as an international document is extremely important in this educational process, though it requires a lot of effort from many people. The work done by the Srebrenica Memorial Center and the Mothers of Srebrenica is very important. I was invited to attend the opening of the genocide exhibition at the UN, held on July 1st, which was very important. Representatives from many countries, and UN ambassadors, were there. They could speak with Munira and Kada Hotic, who were there, as well as Ambassador Lagumdzija, Azir Osmanovic from the Memorial Center, and Amra Begic. They put a human face on the communication about the truth of the genocide, which I think was very effective,” the professor said.
Interview question: “They say that denying genocide is the last stage of genocide, but there is so much denial in the public space. How can this be prevented?”
“As you said, denying genocide minimizes the crime and sends a message to the victims that the crime can be repeated. Prosecutors should, at the very least, condemn and prosecute such actions, but there seems to be no willingness to prosecute genocide denial. This could be a significant change for transitional justice if prosecutors started working on this. Also very important is the construction of memorials at mass killing sites, because today in Srebrenica, you have crime sites, areas included in Mladic’s verdict, that are completely unmarked. There is nothing indicating what happened there. This must change, and it is up to the High Representative to ensure that we have markers in Pilica, a cultural center by the Petkovci dam, Kravica, and other locations,” Pettigrew stated.
Interview question: “One more question, please. Given your familiarity with the situation in BiH, how do you comment on the United States (U.S.) sanctions against Milorad Dodik and his associates, which are the strongest to date? Is this the beginning of his political end?”
“I think the sanctions are important and will have an effect in the long run. U.S. Ambassador Murphy strongly advocates for U.S. policy in this regard. If nothing else, there are efforts to limit Milorad Dodik’s secessionist policies and hate speech that could encourage the repetition of crimes. He is a problem that the international community must address. Whether the sanctions will “bring him down,” I am not sure,” the professor concluded, N1 writes.
E.Dz.
