“It is an honor for me to stand with Samir Vranović, with Istina Kalinovik 92, and with survivors and family members as we commemorate the 34th anniversary of the persecution and suffering of Bosniak civilians in Kalinovik. Today we remember all the victims in Kalinovik, including those whose human remains have still not been identified, such as Doctor Abdurahman Filipović, Avdija Škoro and Salko Vranović. ,” said professor dr. David Pettigrew, Connecticut State University Professor of Philosophy and Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Southern Connecticut State University, and Member, Advisory Committee, Yale University Genocide Studies Program.
By our presence, together, we affirm the human right to commemoration and we appeal to Mr. Michael O’Flaherty the EU Commissioner for Human Rights, and to the Office of the High Representative for the right to install memorials at the atrocity sites in Kalinovik, including a memorial museum and cemetery at Barutnimagacin concentration camp, as well as a memorial at the elementary school, which was the largest concentration camp in Kalinovik in 1992.
We also call for the removal of the mural of Ratko Mladić at the entrance to Kalinovik. The mural was installed illegally in 2018 by a private citizen, Vlada Mandić, from Serbia. There was no authorization for its installation. At the time, the Mayor of Kalinovikwas quoted as stating that no permission had been requested for the Mladić mural: “Nobody asked for a permit. Nobody contacted us,” she said. There was no permission, there was no permit. Therefore there can be no hesitation about removing the mural now.
The universal principles and values of transitional justice compel us to make this appeal. The guidelines for transitional justice have been well articulated by regular reports and documents by the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights. At its very core, transitional justice in a post genocide society places the dignity and rights of victims at the forefront of its considerations, demanding the right to the truth, respect for the rule of law, and that the memory of the victims be honored with appropriate memorials and commemorations, thereby guaranteeing that the crimes will not be repeated.
A culture of remembrance is seen as crucial for peacebuilding in a post-genocide society. But the mural in Kalinovik, which proclaims Mladić to be the town’s hero, is inhumane and retraumatizing for survivors as it represents the glorification of a war criminal who has been convicted of genocide. The mural celebrates the crimes that were committed and therefore threatens that they will be committed again. The mural betrays the values of transitional justice and is in violation of the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It must be removed.
By our presence today we call for the removal of the Mladić mural and we demand the right to install memorials to honor the memory of the victims. Their lives and their memories will not be erased. They will not be forgotten. Together, we condemn hate speech, genocide denial, and we enact a culture of remembrance which is crucial for engendering peace, justice, and hope for a democratic future in BiH.
