Local authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) have decided to ignore the former High Representative’s (HR) call to remove murals of convicted war criminals in at least five municipalities, making life difficult for returnees in these places, according to an analysis by the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network of (BIRN) of BiH. In the meantime, the state prosecutor’s office has rejected three of several dozen allegations of genocide or war crimes denial.
The mural of convicted war criminal Ratko Mladic is still on a residential building in Gradiska, a town in northern BiH near the border with Croatia. Mladic’s drawing while saluting militarily in the military uniform of the Republika Srpska Army (VRS) is similar to the one that provoked protests and arrests in Belgrade in recent days, and was painted white and then painted again. But in Gradiska, no one is even trying to remove the mural, so a group of young men who drew it last summer don’t need to defend it.
Before his departure from BiH, former HR Valentin Inzko called on all local authorities to remove murals and other content glorifying convicted war criminals from public space after imposing changes to laws that ban it.
Mural in Foca
”I read on one portal that a 25-meter-long mural was painted forRatko Mladic in Foca. I couldn’t believe it. I have decided to personally visit all the locations in BiH where his murals are located. Kalinovik, Nevesinje, Gradiska, Gacko, and even the last one in Foca “, stated Inzko.
“City of Hero“
The mural at the entrance to Kalinovik, along with a picture of Mladic, has the inscription “City of Hero“.
Mural of Draza Mihajlovic
They noted there is still a mural in the town showing Dragomir Draza Mihajlovic, a World War II Chetnik commander whose forces are responsible for war crimes in BiH.
Municipalities reject responsibility
Foca is not the only city with murals. In 2017, murals of Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic were unveiled in Visegrad. There is also a street in this city called “Uzice Corps”. The crimes in this city began while the Uzice Corps was still in it. The commander of this corps, Dragoljub Ojdanic, was found guilty of war crimes in Kosovo in The Hague.
BiH Criminal Code
Former judge and prosecutor Esad Fejzagic explained that a huge number of war criminals will never be prosecuted. Further, he added that naming streets after war criminals is a complex issue, but he does not see a complete solution in the amendments and changes to the law.
According to the amendments to the Criminal Code of BiH, approving, denying, diminishing, or attempting to justify the crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity, or war crimes will be punishable by six months to five years in prison.
Data from the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH show the slow and difficult prosecution of a criminal offense that has existed for a long time for inciting hatred. These data prove that according to the article of the Criminal Code related to incitement to hatred since 2019, charges have been filed with the Prosecutor’s Office for 46 people in 26 cases. Only in 3 cases, indictments for 5 people were filled, while only one case ended in a verdict.
E.Dz.
Source: Avaz
