David Pettigrew, a professor of philosophy and Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Southern Connecticut State University and a member of the Board of Directors of the Genocide Studies Program at Yale University, warned that genocide denial and glorification of convicted war criminals in Bosnia and Herzegovina continue despite the 2021 legal changes, with almost complete impunity.
At a press conference today organized by the Association of Independent Intellectuals “Circle 99”, he emphasized that such phenomena are “an insult to the essence established by court verdicts, a re-traumatization of survivors, and a threat that crimes could be repeated.”
In spite of High Representative Inzko’s amendment of the Criminal Code of BiH in 2021 with the law against genocide and the glorification of convicted war criminals, and the great hope it engendered, the denial of genocide and the glorification of war criminals have continued with almost complete impunity. There have been almost no prosecutions of genocide denial and the glorification of war criminals. The denial of genocide and glorification of convicted war criminals are an insult to the truth established by legal judgements, re-traumatizing for survivors, and a threat that the atrocities could be repeated. Let us recall that in the BiH Criminal Code, genocide denial and the glorification of war criminals are understood as incitements to violence or hatred, in other words, as forms of hate speech threatening violence directed at the targeted group. The inaction of the Prosecutor’s office has contributed to an escalation of hate speech and denial. The situation has become increasingly dire., professor says.
There has been, for example, no prosecution of the plaque glorifying Ratko Mladić on Vraca Hill, no prosecution of the mural depicting Ratko Mladić in Banja Luka, and no prosecution of the mural depicting Ratko Mladić with the inscription “town of the hero” at the entrance to Kalinovik. There has been no prosecution of Milorad Dodik’s consistent denial of the Srebrenica Genocide or of his hate speech directed at Muslims, as in the case of his recent post on X (formerly Twitter) in which he stated that Sarajevo Serbs left their homes “because they refused to remain under Muslim rule.”
Rather than being prosecuted, Dodik’s sanctions were lifted recently and he accompanied a delegation from RepublikaSrpska to Washington, DC, where he seemed to undertake an active lobbying role. Following his return from Washington, Dodik made no secret of his separatist ideology when he boasted: “We met with over 14 congressmen and everyone knows that we came there as representatives of RepublikaSrpska”. In his comments Dodik emphasized his view that “the Dayton Agreement has been “destroyed” and that “there is no chance of it being repaired,” and that the separation model is, in his words, “the best option.”
Dodik’s and Republika Srpska’s lobbying efforts in Washington seem to be generating support for his secessionist and anti-Muslim politics. For example, a recent article by Max Pomerac with the title, “An Islamist State on EUs border?” labeled Bosnia as an “emerging threat” to NATO on its “southern flank”. The baseless article includes a comment that “Sarajevo has become a Muslim city”. At the invitation of Mr. Dodik, Lt. Gen Michael Flynn (Ret.) appeared recently in Banja Luka where he warned of the threat of “radical Islam” and maligned Islam as a political program rather than a religion. In addition, Rod Blagojevich, a U.S.-based lobbyist for RepublikaSrpska posted a video on X (formerly Twitter) claiming that “Christian Church properties” are being “seized” by “radicalized Muslim leadership in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.” These articles and statements must be condemned in the strongest possible terms and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law as they demonize Bosniaks with wanton cruelty, inciting hatred and rendering them vulnerable to persecution and violence, he adds.
This anti-Muslim fearmongering has been supplemented by public events evoking nationalist ideologies of the 1990’s, ideologies that sought the permanent removal of Bosniaks, whether in the case of a so-called “Greater Croatia “or a “Greater Serbia.” Recent concerts by Marko PerkovićThompson in Široki Brijeg included the song “BojnaČavoglave,” which begins with the Ustasha salute “Za domspremni,” to which the audience raised stiff right arms. Such public nationalist fervor is a concern, given efforts to create a separatist Bosnian Croat “third entity” in Bosnia. Equally troubling was the gathering of the members of Ravna Gora in Višegrad on March 13 to pay tribute to the WW II Chetnik leader Draža Mihailović. Participants wore military uniforms evoking memories of war crimes committed against Bosniaks in Višegrad in the 90s as part of the eliminationist ideology of a Greater Serbia. Speakers at the event glorified convicted war criminals Ratko Mladić and Radovan Karadžić. These events are especially disturbing as they involve a toxic synthesis of fascist symbols and ideologies from the 90s and from WWII.
This pathology of impunity reached new heights of depravity with the promotion of the Vilina Vlas Hotel in Višegrad, at the Belgrade Tourism Fair, as a tourist destination. At least 200 Bosniak women and girls were forcibly detained and subjected to sexual assault at Vilina Vlas by members of the Army and Police of Republika Srpska. It is believed that fewer than ten survived. The Hotel was re-opened after the genocide without so much as replacing the rooms or furniture where the crimes occurred. The promotion of Vilina Vlas, or of other locations in Višegrad where Bosniaks were murdered as a tourist destination is a despicable effort to deny the war crimes that were committed. It dishonors the memory of the victims.
The inaction of the prosecutor’s office and of the Office of the High Representative has led to an escalation of denial, glorification of war criminals, ethno-nationalistic rhetoric, and the incitement of hatred against those who were targeted during the genocide. It is imperative to resist this pathology of impunity now with prosecutions and with transitional justice initiatives designed to transform the culture for future generations.
Such initiatives must include support for the right of survivors to install memorials in locations where they have been prohibited such as Dom Kulture Pilica, Heliodrom, Kalinovik, Kravica, and Prijedor, and the removal of plaques and murals glorifying convicted war criminals such as the mural of Ratko Mladic at the entrance of Kalinovik. Along with prosecutions for hate speech, genocide denial, or the glorification of convicted war criminals, the Office of the High Representative must take these transitional justice initiatives to assert the truth established by legal judgements and to ensure a more just future in Bosnia and Herzegovina in which the dignity and human rights of survivors will be protected and the memory of the victims will be honored. There is no time to lose, Pettigrew concluded.
