Professor of Philosophy and Holocaust and Genocide Studies at the University of Southern Connecticut David Pettigrew expressed gratitude to High Representative Valentin Inzkun for the decision to sanction genocide denial and glorify convicted war criminals.
He did so on behalf of a group of Bosnians and Herzegovinians and Americans of BiH origin called the “Working Group for BiH”.
In a letter to Inzko, Pettigrew stated that this decision of the High Representative was the result of the inevitable conclusion that the glorification of war criminals had escalated, the final and binding verdicts of international courts had been challenged, and that the matter needed to be regulated by law.
“Our working group for BiH welcomes your decision to amend the BiH Criminal Code to punish the denial of genocide and other war crimes, as well as the glorification of convicted war criminals. Your decision will be a necessary step towards restorative justice and reconciliation, as it will provide concrete an action that prevents the recurrence of crimes and will protect survivors from re-traumatization caused by the horrific practice of denial and glorification, ”Professor Pettigrew points out.
He is grateful that, in terms of making this decision, protecting survivors from further psychological trauma was one of the priorities.
He believes that the amendments to the Criminal Code have been improved compared to previous drafts in terms of specifying examples of glorification of convicted war criminals that would be prohibited.
“We have previously suggested that ‘it will take more than the law’, and therefore we have proposed the establishment of a civic commission, including representatives from the diaspora, to facilitate public debate and awareness. Such a commission would support the law and make a crucial contribution to transforming a culture of remembrance, “Pettigrew said in the letter.
