The Srebrenica Memorial Center expresses concern over the decision of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the RS entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina (MUP RS) to prohibit the planned filming of the interior of the Pilica Cultural Center, Zvornik Municipality.
The location carries deep historical and symbolic weight as one of the places where crimes against Bosniaks were committed during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1992 to 1995. The Pilica Cultural Center was the site of the detention and mass murder of 500 Bosniaks in July 1995, making it a key symbol of the genocide committed against Bosniaks in the Drina region.
“Cultural centers, schools and other public buildings in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which once served as spaces for education and social life, were transformed into crime scenes during the war. The Pilica Cultural Center bears witness to systematic violence, including detention, torture and mass executions,” said the Director of the Memorial Center, Emir Suljagić.
During the planned visit, the expert team of the Memorial Center, together with external collaborators responsible for preparing one of the institution’s exhibition displays, was prevented from conducting filming activities. Although the competent institutions were informed of the plans, there was a sudden change of decision. Police officers, in accordance with the new instructions, ordered the cessation of all activities and the abandonment of the location.
“We warn the institutions that they are obliged to enable uninterrupted work at such locations of key importance for the documentation and research of genocide,” Suljagić concludes.
Photo: Anadolu Agency
