Domestic institutions are obliged to act against the glorification of war criminals, the Office of the High Representative stated after Detektor wrote about the new mural of Ratko Mladić in Banja Luka and the letters from the victims’ association in which they called on Christian Schmidt to use his powers to eliminate threats to peace, security and the constitutional order of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and to sanction those responsible.
The Association of Victims and Witnesses of Genocide sent the request to the Office of the High Representative in BiH (OHR) after Detektor wrote about the new mural in Banja Luka that glorifies Ratko Mladić and that disturbs returnees.
In the letter they submitted to the public, with photographs recorded by Detektor journalists, they stated that they are demanding an end to the policies of revisionism, denial and affirmation of war crimes and criminals in the territory of the Republika Srpska entity.
“The placement of the mural on the Banja Luka Municipality building is just one in a series of moves that indicate the worrying practice of the current authorities in the RS and potentially announce an attempt to revive the scenario from the 1990s,” stated the Association, calling on the High Representative to use the powers he has.
When asked by Detector, the OHR stated that they condemn the glorification.
“The glorification of war criminals is reprehensible, and the competent domestic institutions have an obligation to act in such cases – stated the Office of the High Representative, which imposed amendments to the Criminal Code that make the glorification and glorification of war crimes punishable.
The Association of Victims also submitted a request to the Chief Prosecutor of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, Serge Brammerz, stating that he has repeatedly reported on Serbia’s disastrous policy, where over 150 murals with images of war criminals have been installed in the very center of Belgrade, and a total of more than three hundred in various locations throughout Serbia.
“Unfortunately, the same tendency is also present in the territory of the RS entity, from Foča, Nevesinje, Trebinje, Bratunac, Kalinovik, Banja Luka and other places,” stated Murat Tahirović, the signatory of the letter.
“According to public statements and messages that are being sent, it is precisely war criminals and their glorification that represent an instrument of the current government in RS, with the aim of maintaining and strengthening the policy that led to genocide and mass crimes in the 1990s,” they stated in the request.
After Detektor journalists recorded photographs of the mural in Banja Luka, the services of the City of Banja Luka and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republika Srpska did not respond to inquiries. Mayor Draško Stanivuković did not respond to calls either.
The Prosecutor’s Office of BiH has filed six indictments for the criminal offense of “inciting national, racial and religious hatred, discord and intolerance” which states the prohibition of denying war crimes and glorifying war criminals, of which the Court of BiH refused to confirm the indictment in one case, while in the other case it merged two indictments against Vojin Pavlović into one case. Pavlović was convicted without a final judgment.
Detektor analyzed negative prosecutorial decisions through two studies in order to identify shortcomings in the work of the Prosecutor’s Office in reports of denial of crimes and glorification of convicted war criminals. The latest study shows that state prosecutors have been better at explaining their decisions in the last two years, but they still have a small number of indictments for denial of crimes, despite the large number of reports.
