Plenum show at Federalna TV on Monday was dedicated to the anniversary of the massacre at the Tuzla Gate and the culture of memory of one of the heaviest crimes committed against civilians during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The father of the youngest victim of that crime, Dino Kalesić, spoke about the pain of the victims’ families, the attitude of young people towards the tragedy, and the case of Novak Đukić in an interview conducted by his colleague Dino Durmić.
Speaking about how today’s generations perceive May 25, 1995, Kalesić says that young people often do not have enough knowledge about what happened at the Gate.
“It seems to me that young people don’t have enough information, and on the other hand, they don’t have enough interest to learn something either. Today’s generations were brought up on the Internet and what social networks offer them.”
He adds that war crimes are often not talked about enough even within the family:
“After that, it is important how much is talked about in the house or not. All this informs their knowledge about what happened from 1992 to 1995.”
However, he believes that children should be introduced to difficult topics carefully:
“Of course I want them to know what Kapija is and to have basic information, but children must be approached carefully and in moderation, especially in elementary school, so that they can understand and accept it. The best way to incorporate all of this is through textbooks.”
“The best revenge is not to be like the person who did something to you”
Kalesić is the father of the youngest victim of the Kapija massacre, and speaking about life after losing a child, he emphasizes that hatred has never been the answer.
“It has to do with upbringing. Logic dictates that nothing should be generalized. All of us who were here from 1992 to 1995 know who our neighbors were and who suffered the same as us. Out of respect for these people, who were of all religions and nations, we must not generalize and we must not seek revenge.”
He especially emphasizes that the greatest answer to crime is to remain human:
“The best revenge is not to be like the one who did something to you.”
Speaking about the everyday life of families who have lost children, he says that the pain never ends:
“All of us parents who put our child in the ground know what we go to bed with and what we wake up with. Every day is hard.”
Responsibility and the system that failed
Speaking about Novak Đukić, who was legally convicted for the crime at Kapija, who never served his sentence because he is in Serbia, Kalesić says that such a case sends a bad message to the entire country.
“This fact is not a message only to us, the families of the victims, but to all of Bosnia and Herzegovina – that something is wrong in the country.”
He says that he is especially hurt by the way Đukić left Bosnia and Herzegovina:
“Novak Đukić did not escape through some secret channels. He simply walked, got into a vehicle and crossed the border of a sovereign state as a convicted war criminal.”
He called the sentence of 25 years in prison “shamefully small”, and he also raised the issue of procedural errors during the process:
“It is shameful that procedural errors are identified, so that a person is released and no one bears the consequences.”
Kalesić believes that the responsibility cannot stop at just one name:
“Novak Đukić alone cannot be responsible. There is a complete chain – executors of his orders, but also those from whom he received orders.”
He especially points out the difference between the Kapija case and other war crimes in Bosnia and Herzegovina:
“When you talk about other tragedies in Bosnia and Herzegovina, you mention Milošević, Karadžić, Mladić and the entire chain of responsibility. Only in the case of Kapija is one person mentioned and no one else.”
At the end, he also called on investigative journalists to take the whole case more seriously:
“I would like colleagues who consider themselves investigative journalists to check how there was a procedural error in the case of Novak Đukić and why no one suffered the consequences.”, Federalna writes.
