About UsThe Bosnian American Genocide Institute and Education Center (BAGI) is a not-for profit charitable and educational organization. BAGI is dedicated to scientific research pertaining to the genocide that occurred in Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1992-1995 and to educate others about the holocaust, genocide and other forms of crimes against humanity.
The purpose of the mission is reconciliation by teaching universal lessons that combat hatred, prejudice and indifference. |
Become a MemberSince 2010, the Bosnian American Genocide Institute has organized and participated in over 55 events worldwide, including commemoration events for Srebrenica remembrance, Dan Bijelih Traka, educational conferences and lectures and museum exhibitions. These events have informed thousands fo people about the genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
As we step into the second decade of our work, we would like to grow our capacity even further to be able to provide more educational content in an effort to fight genocide denial. We are asking our community to make a commitment to support this ongoing work. Join today as a member to help us continue this necessary work. |
NEWS:
The passing of Honorary Board Member, Mensur Seferovic is an immense loss for our community
It is with absolute sadness and grief that we are regrettably announcing the passing of Mr. Mensur Seferovic, an Honorary Board Member of the Bosnian-American Genocide Institute.
He was born in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina on November 25th, 1925. Mr. Seferovic was a concentration camp survivor, he was interned at a camp in Southern Italy during World War II. He was an anti-fascist fighter who carried on his beliefs of anti-fascism through his research and writing. From 1955 until 2014 he published 24 books. These books are records of his research and untold stories that span the Balkans.
Mr. Seferovic was a prolific writer, a detailed record keeper and an empathic storyteller. This is an immense loss for our community and we want to ask everyone to keep Mr. Seferovic’s family in mind during this difficult time. The Board of Directors sends their condolences to the former President of the Board, Sanja Drnovsek and her siblings, children and family during this time.
For more information about his work please visit:https://www.booksbyseferovic.com/.
He was born in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina on November 25th, 1925. Mr. Seferovic was a concentration camp survivor, he was interned at a camp in Southern Italy during World War II. He was an anti-fascist fighter who carried on his beliefs of anti-fascism through his research and writing. From 1955 until 2014 he published 24 books. These books are records of his research and untold stories that span the Balkans.
Mr. Seferovic was a prolific writer, a detailed record keeper and an empathic storyteller. This is an immense loss for our community and we want to ask everyone to keep Mr. Seferovic’s family in mind during this difficult time. The Board of Directors sends their condolences to the former President of the Board, Sanja Drnovsek and her siblings, children and family during this time.
For more information about his work please visit:https://www.booksbyseferovic.com/.
UNTOLD KILLING - SEASON 2 - PRIJEDOR
In 2021, we partnered with Remembering Srebrenica UK for Season 2 of Untold Killing, a six episode series that focuses on the Prijedor region of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the early stages of the war and genocide.
Survivors from the diaspora as well as survivors who are still living in Bosnia and Herzegovina have been interviewed to retell the brutal story of Prijedor and focus on the stories of concentration camp survivors and victims.
Survivors from the diaspora as well as survivors who are still living in Bosnia and Herzegovina have been interviewed to retell the brutal story of Prijedor and focus on the stories of concentration camp survivors and victims.
This season will cover the camps’ political, international, and ideological implications, the personal stories of the Bosniaks held there, and the long-lasting effects on the camp survivors and their families, who now live scattered across the world (Message Heard / Remembering Srebrenica & Remembering Srebrenica UK, Untold Killing - Season 2 Trailer 2022).
PAST EVENTS:
Voices from Srebrenica: An Online Book Panel
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Co-hosted by Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center and the Bosnian-American Genocide Institute and Education Center.
Community Partners: War Childhood Museum, Educator’s Institute for Human Rights, #Togetherweremember, Yale University Genocide Studies Program, Advisory Council for Bosnia and Herzegovina. Voices from Srebrenica: Survivor Narratives of the Bosnian Genocide tells the story of fourteen survivors of the Bosnian Genocide. Through their individual narratives, the book forges personal connections with the reader, ensuring that "never forget" and "never again" are more than just catchphrases. This moving book and these stories assure that remembrance and prevention live in the hearts of all those who encounter these harrowing descriptions of trauma and resilience. Join us for a panel discussion of Voices from Srebrenica with its authors, Ann Petrila and Hasan Hasanović, as well as Emir Suljagić, Director of the Srebrenica Memorial Center. They will be joined by Jessica Hulten, Education Outreach Coordinator, Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center; Ida Sefer, President, Bosnian-American Genocide Institute Chicago; and David Pettigrew, Professor, Southern Connecticut State University, and Board Member, Bosnian-American Genocide Institute. Following the discussion, we will open the floor for live questions from the audience. |
25th Anniversary Commemoration of the Srebrenica Genocide
July 14, 2020
Hosted by Ajla Delkic, President, Advisory Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina
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25th Anniversary Commemoration of the Srebrenica Genocide
Please join us in commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide and stand in solidarity with the victims and survivors of the worst crime committed on European soil since World War II. After the Holocaust, the world vowed "Never Again," but the fall of the United Nations "safe area" of Srebrenica to Bosnian Serb and Serbian forces in July of 1995 stands out as the international community's most egregious failure to intervene during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It led to genocide, forced displacement, and a legacy of loss. To commemorate 25 years since the genocide at Srebrenica, the Advisory Council for Bosnia and Herzegovina will be joined by a panel of distinguished speakers who will offer their perspective on the actions we all must undertake to ensure that justice prevails, and that the lessons of Srebrenica are not forgotten. |
Memory in the Face of Denial:
Srebrenica 25 Years Later
July 9, 2020
Online Event
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Denial is the final stage of genocide. Denial by perpetrators, whether by words or by taking steps to cover their acts, or even refusing to recognize atrocities years later, impacts the memory of genocide.
Join Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center, Bosnian-American Genocide Institute and Education Center (BAGI), and Srebrenica Memorial Center for a thought-provoking discussion between eyewitnesses of the genocide in Srebrenica as they powerfully share their experiences during the genocide, and their fight to combat the state of denial 25 years later. Moderators: Ida Sefer - President of the Board of Directors, Bosnian American Genocide Institute and Education Center Dr. David Pettigrew - Professor of Philosophy and Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Southern CT State University; and Secretary of the Board of Directors, Bosnian American Genocide Institute and Education Center Panelists included: Ron Haviv - Emmy-nominated, award-winning photojournalist and co-founder of VII Photo Agency. His work in the Balkans was used as evidence to indict and convict war criminals at the international tribunal in The Hague. His first photography book, “Blood and Honey: A Balkan War Journal,” was named “one of the best non-fiction books of the year,” by The Los Angeles Times. Roy Gutman - Associate Fellow at The Washington Institute, Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter, former foreign correspondent for Newsday and McClatchy, and author of “A Witness to Genocide” Hasan Hasanović - Survivor of the Srebrenica Genocide, author of "Surviving Srebrenica" (2016) and co-author of "Voices from Srebrenica" (2020), Srebrenica Memorial Center Amra Begic - family member of Srebrenica genocide victims. Chief of Department, Srebrenica Memorial Center Senada Pargan - Survivor of Srebrenica Genocide, President of Bosniaks Cultural Community Preporod of North America/Bzk Preporod SA, and author of "The Darkness of Silver Lights" (2015) Presented in partnership with the Illinois Holocaust Museum, the Bosnian-American Genocide Institute and Education Center (BAGI), and Srebrenica Memorial Center. Community Partner: Educators Institute for Human Rights |
Lessons for the Future
25 years of Genocide Denialism
July 8, 2020
Online Event
Hosted by Arnesa Buljusmic, Remembering Srebrenica
Bosnian Genocide:
Witnessing the Struggle for Justice
January 10, 2019 6:30pm
Illinois Holocaust Museum
9603 Woods Drive
Skokie, IL 60077
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In a world still challenged by nationalistic violence, ethnic expulsion, genocide, and the response to the refugee crisis, join the Bosnian American Genocide Institute and Illinois Holocaust Museum for a captivating and important discussion on the challenges of international justice, truth, response, and prevention.
The event is FREE and open to the public. A Conversation With:
For more information visit our event page here. Register for the event here. Want to ask the speakers a question? Fill this form out and we'll address your question during the panel. |
Stories of Survival
July 19, 2018 6:30pm
Illinois Holocaust Museum
9603 Woods Drive
Skokie, IL 60077
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Join us for the the opening exhibit of "Stories of Survival", an exhibit curated by the Illinois Holocaust Museum.
Stories of Survival is a landmark exhibit that showcases more than 60 never-before-seen personal items brought to America by Survivors of the Holocaust and other genocides, including Armenia, Bosnia, Cambodia, Iraq, Rwanda, South Sudan, and Syria. Each artifact is dramatically showcased alongside oversized photographs by renowned documentarian Jim Lommasson. Survivors or their family members wrote directly on the photograph to reveal personal stories. Meet the photographer and Museum Curator Arielle Weininger and enjoy the opportunity to speak with local Survivors whose stories are included in the exhibit, as well as their family members. This gallery-style opening event will bring these incredible family heirlooms to life. Free with Museum admission. Reservations required. RESERVE YOUR TICKET. |
ELISHA WIESEL
Donald and Sue Pritzker Voices
of Conscience Lecture
November 19, 2017 1pm
Highland Park High School Auditorium
433 Vine Avenue, Highland Park, IL
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Join us for a powerful conversation with Elisha Wiesel, son of the late Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel, as he reflects on the indelible legacy his father left for him and the world, and how he works to advance his father’s message today. Elisha will share his lessons for humanity’s present and future, and the imperative of helping the world remember, understand, and learn from the lessons of the Holocaust. Don’t miss this incredible opportunity!
Moderated by J.B. Pritzker, Trustee, Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center and Son of Donald and Sue Pritzker. $20, $10 Members, $5 students. Reservations required. Reserve here. Community Partners: America Jewish World Service, Archdiocese of Chicago Office of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, Armenian National Committee of Illinois, Association of the Descendants of the Shoah-Illinois, Bosnian American Genocide Institute, Center for International Human Rights at Northwester Pritzker School of Law, Chicago South Sudanese Community Center, College of Lake County Center for Nonviolence, Heartland Alliance Marjorie Kovler Center, Highland Park High School, Holocaust Community Services/CJE Senior Life, L’Chaim Center, Midwest Center for Jewish Learning, Metro Chicago Hillel, The Hillels of Illinois, Pozen Family Center for Human Rights at the University of Chicago, Rochelle Zell Jewish High School, Roosevelt University’s History Program, Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago, Am Shalom and Sheerit HaPleitah of Metropolitan Chicago. |
The Syrian Crisis: Impact and Response
Thursday, February 9, 2017
6:30 PM
The Bosnian-American Genocide Institute and Education Center invites you to Syrian Crisis: Impact and Response at the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center, on February 9th, 2017.
As the situation in Syria intensifies, we as a community know that it is important for us to stand with those who are displaced by war and genocide. This expert panel will explore the conflict and how refugees are currently being impacted.
How can we help the millions of Syrian refugees in Jordan, Turkey, Europe and elsewhere?
As the world faces the worst refugee crisis since World War II and the Holocaust, it is a reminder that we must speak out. We must offer compassion to the millions of innocent people who are fleeing brutality.
The cost of human life and loss in Syria is difficult to comprehend. Over 450,000 Syrians have been killed (approximately the population of Atlanta), 50,000 of those children. Another 4.8 million Syrians are refugees, with 6.1 million displaced within Syria. We must raise our voices.
Panelists will include:
Dr. Zaher Sahloul
Former President of the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS), who has visited Syria to provide medical care in war-torn communities.
Whitney Cross (Moderator)
U.S. Fund for UNICEF
Suzanne Akhras Sahloul
Founder and Executive Director of the Syrian Community Network, which connects refugees with services and fosters relationships with the larger Chicago community.
Tickets can be reserved here:
https://www.ilholocaustmuseum.org/syria/.
As the situation in Syria intensifies, we as a community know that it is important for us to stand with those who are displaced by war and genocide. This expert panel will explore the conflict and how refugees are currently being impacted.
How can we help the millions of Syrian refugees in Jordan, Turkey, Europe and elsewhere?
As the world faces the worst refugee crisis since World War II and the Holocaust, it is a reminder that we must speak out. We must offer compassion to the millions of innocent people who are fleeing brutality.
The cost of human life and loss in Syria is difficult to comprehend. Over 450,000 Syrians have been killed (approximately the population of Atlanta), 50,000 of those children. Another 4.8 million Syrians are refugees, with 6.1 million displaced within Syria. We must raise our voices.
Panelists will include:
Dr. Zaher Sahloul
Former President of the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS), who has visited Syria to provide medical care in war-torn communities.
Whitney Cross (Moderator)
U.S. Fund for UNICEF
Suzanne Akhras Sahloul
Founder and Executive Director of the Syrian Community Network, which connects refugees with services and fosters relationships with the larger Chicago community.
Tickets can be reserved here:
https://www.ilholocaustmuseum.org/syria/.
Screening of "I Came to Testify"
January 8, 2017 2pm
B&H Club 3442 W. Peterson Ave. Chicago, IL
The Bosnian-American Genocide Institute and Education Center invites you on January 8th, 2017 to a screening of "I Came to Testify", a PBS documentary regarding 16 Bosnian women who were imprisoned in the town of Foča and how they testified against their perpetrators.
Join us after the screening for a panel discussion with BAGI board members and community experts.
Danica Anderson, Ph.D., is an author, a Forensic Psychotherapist and a current Gender Victims Expert for the International Criminal Court. Dr. Anderson is the founder and CEO of The Kolo: Women's Cross Cultural Collaboration, an international initiative aimed at providing support, psychotherapy and life training for victims and survivors of war, war criminals and offenders of sexual assault.
David Pettigrew, Ph.D., is a Professor of Philosophy at Southern Connecticut State University and a member of the Yale University Genocide Studies Program steering committee. Dr. Pettigrew is a human rights activist who strives, through his research and advocacy, to preserve and honor the memory of the victims of the genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as to resist genocide denial and the glorification of war criminals in Republika Srpska.
Senada Cvrk Pargan, BSM, is the President of Bosniaks Cultural Community Preporod of North America. Ms. Pargan is also a well-known Bosnian poet and survivor of the genocide in Srebrenica. She is a tireless activist in the Bosnian community who is working towards cultural preservation and combatting genocide denial.
The event will be held in the English language and we strongly encourage students to attend. The event is free and open to the public.
We would like to thank our community collaborators: Preporod and B&H Club.
Join us after the screening for a panel discussion with BAGI board members and community experts.
Danica Anderson, Ph.D., is an author, a Forensic Psychotherapist and a current Gender Victims Expert for the International Criminal Court. Dr. Anderson is the founder and CEO of The Kolo: Women's Cross Cultural Collaboration, an international initiative aimed at providing support, psychotherapy and life training for victims and survivors of war, war criminals and offenders of sexual assault.
David Pettigrew, Ph.D., is a Professor of Philosophy at Southern Connecticut State University and a member of the Yale University Genocide Studies Program steering committee. Dr. Pettigrew is a human rights activist who strives, through his research and advocacy, to preserve and honor the memory of the victims of the genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as to resist genocide denial and the glorification of war criminals in Republika Srpska.
Senada Cvrk Pargan, BSM, is the President of Bosniaks Cultural Community Preporod of North America. Ms. Pargan is also a well-known Bosnian poet and survivor of the genocide in Srebrenica. She is a tireless activist in the Bosnian community who is working towards cultural preservation and combatting genocide denial.
The event will be held in the English language and we strongly encourage students to attend. The event is free and open to the public.
We would like to thank our community collaborators: Preporod and B&H Club.
SVJEDOCI ISTINE
November 10, 2017 7pm
Babylon Bistro
2639 W. Peterson
Chicago, Illinois 60659
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Join us on Nov 10th with our board Member, Dr. David Pettigrew and Bosnian genocide survivor, Bakira Hasecic, for a discussion about Ms. Hasecic's heroic work and how we as a community can support sexual assault survivors. Dr. Pettigrew will introduce the shared work that he's done with Ms. Hasecic and will present on the 'Continuation of Genocide in Eastern Bosnia.'
Entry is $20. All profits will benefit Udruženje Žena Žrtva Rata. This event is sponsored by the Bosnian American Genocide Institute and the Bosnian-North American Women's Association. |
ŠTO TE NEMA nomadic monument
Tuesday, July 11, 2017
9AM-9PM
How do we talk about genocide?
How do we heal from genocide?
How do we fight against genocide?
ŠTO TE NEMA investigates these universal issues by commemorating one specific genocide: the systematic killing of 8,372 Bosnian Muslims in the UN-protected safe area of Srebrenica in July of 1995. Serving as an alternative to traditional monuments and memorials, ŠTO TE NEMA generates public memory of the Srebrenica genocide by using different participatory models to make an annual nomadic monument. Permanent materials like stone and bronze are replaced with collected porcelain cups filled with coffee. Passive viewers and bystanders are transformed into allies.
Organized in close collaboration between the artist Aida Šehović and the local Bosnian diaspora communities, ŠTO TE NEMA is collectively assembled and disassembled by people on July 11th - the anniversary of Srebrenica genocide - each year, but every time in a different location. The monument consists of a growing collection of fildžani (small porcelain coffee cups) that are continuously collected and donated by Bosnian families from all over the world. Their number increases each year, roughly corresponding to the growing number of bodies found, identified and buried to date. Through dialogue and conversation the public is invited to participate in making the monument by placing the collected cups on the ground and filling them with Bosnian coffee prepared on site throughout the day. Nobody drinks the coffee that’s being poured into the cups as this symbolic gesture of serving coffee to someone who is no longer here is meant to memorialize their absence.
Resisting the implicit acceptance that we have no agency, ŠTO TE NEMA creates awareness, empathy and solidarity, all of which amplify our accountability in the process of moving towards “never again.” Thus far, ŠTO TE NEMA was set up in Boston (2016), Geneva (2015), Toronto (2014), New York City (2013), Istanbul (2012), Burlington (2011), Stockholm (2010), The Hague (2009), Tuzla (2008), The United Nations Headquarters (2007), and Sarajevo (2006).
ŠTO TE NEMA - Chicago PARTNERS Bosnian and Herzegovinian Club of Chicago (BH Club), The Bosnian American Genocide Institute and Education Center (BAGI), The Bosnian-North American Women’s Association (BOSNAWA), Bosnian Islamic Cultural Center (BICC), Islamic Cultural Center of Greater Chicago (ICC), Society of American Bosnians and Herzegovinians SABAH, Bosniaks Cultural Community Preporod of North America, and Association of Srebrenica Survivors (Udruženje Srebreničana). ŠTO TE NEMA is a fiscally sponsored project of the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA), a 501(c)(3), tax-exempt organization.
ABOUT THE ARTIST Aida Šehović is a Bosnian-born artist whose work grapples with displacement, loss and trauma caused by war through a combination of ritual and politics. Born in Banjaluka, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Šehović arrived to United Stated as a refugee in 1997. She received a B.A. (2002) from the University of Vermont and an M.F.A. (2010) from Hunter College. Her work has been exhibited at the Queens Museum, Socrates Sculpture Park, Grand Central Art Center, and the Flux Factory. Šehović is a recipient of the Fellowship for Utopian Practice from Culture Push, the Emerging Artist Fellowship from Socrates Sculpture Park and the Jacob K. Javits Fellowship, and was an artist in residence at the Vermont Studio Center, Santa Fe Art Institute and the LMCC Process Space Residency. Her on-going and recurring monument to the Srebrenica genocide called ŠTO TE NEMA has traveled to 11 different cities in the US and Europe since 2006. This year, Šehović is working together with the Bosnian diaspora communities in Chicago to bring ŠTO TE NEMA monument to their city on July 11, 2017. She lives in New York City.
www.aidasehovic.com
How do we heal from genocide?
How do we fight against genocide?
ŠTO TE NEMA investigates these universal issues by commemorating one specific genocide: the systematic killing of 8,372 Bosnian Muslims in the UN-protected safe area of Srebrenica in July of 1995. Serving as an alternative to traditional monuments and memorials, ŠTO TE NEMA generates public memory of the Srebrenica genocide by using different participatory models to make an annual nomadic monument. Permanent materials like stone and bronze are replaced with collected porcelain cups filled with coffee. Passive viewers and bystanders are transformed into allies.
Organized in close collaboration between the artist Aida Šehović and the local Bosnian diaspora communities, ŠTO TE NEMA is collectively assembled and disassembled by people on July 11th - the anniversary of Srebrenica genocide - each year, but every time in a different location. The monument consists of a growing collection of fildžani (small porcelain coffee cups) that are continuously collected and donated by Bosnian families from all over the world. Their number increases each year, roughly corresponding to the growing number of bodies found, identified and buried to date. Through dialogue and conversation the public is invited to participate in making the monument by placing the collected cups on the ground and filling them with Bosnian coffee prepared on site throughout the day. Nobody drinks the coffee that’s being poured into the cups as this symbolic gesture of serving coffee to someone who is no longer here is meant to memorialize their absence.
Resisting the implicit acceptance that we have no agency, ŠTO TE NEMA creates awareness, empathy and solidarity, all of which amplify our accountability in the process of moving towards “never again.” Thus far, ŠTO TE NEMA was set up in Boston (2016), Geneva (2015), Toronto (2014), New York City (2013), Istanbul (2012), Burlington (2011), Stockholm (2010), The Hague (2009), Tuzla (2008), The United Nations Headquarters (2007), and Sarajevo (2006).
ŠTO TE NEMA - Chicago PARTNERS Bosnian and Herzegovinian Club of Chicago (BH Club), The Bosnian American Genocide Institute and Education Center (BAGI), The Bosnian-North American Women’s Association (BOSNAWA), Bosnian Islamic Cultural Center (BICC), Islamic Cultural Center of Greater Chicago (ICC), Society of American Bosnians and Herzegovinians SABAH, Bosniaks Cultural Community Preporod of North America, and Association of Srebrenica Survivors (Udruženje Srebreničana). ŠTO TE NEMA is a fiscally sponsored project of the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA), a 501(c)(3), tax-exempt organization.
ABOUT THE ARTIST Aida Šehović is a Bosnian-born artist whose work grapples with displacement, loss and trauma caused by war through a combination of ritual and politics. Born in Banjaluka, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Šehović arrived to United Stated as a refugee in 1997. She received a B.A. (2002) from the University of Vermont and an M.F.A. (2010) from Hunter College. Her work has been exhibited at the Queens Museum, Socrates Sculpture Park, Grand Central Art Center, and the Flux Factory. Šehović is a recipient of the Fellowship for Utopian Practice from Culture Push, the Emerging Artist Fellowship from Socrates Sculpture Park and the Jacob K. Javits Fellowship, and was an artist in residence at the Vermont Studio Center, Santa Fe Art Institute and the LMCC Process Space Residency. Her on-going and recurring monument to the Srebrenica genocide called ŠTO TE NEMA has traveled to 11 different cities in the US and Europe since 2006. This year, Šehović is working together with the Bosnian diaspora communities in Chicago to bring ŠTO TE NEMA monument to their city on July 11, 2017. She lives in New York City.
www.aidasehovic.com
OPEN LETTERS AND APPEALS:
Appeal to High Representative Valentin Inzko
Valentin Inzko
High Representative
The Office of the High Representative
Emerika Bluma 1
71000 Sarajevo
Bosnia and Herzegovina
August 8, 2018
Your Excellency,
We are writing to urge you to advocate for a memorial for the 3,167 victims of the aggression perpetrated by the Bosnian Serbs against non-Serbs in Prijedor Municipality, which began in 1992.
The atrocities that were committed have been extensively documented in the proceedings of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, and in published books and other reports. There have been numerous convictions of the perpetrators, including on appeal, for the crimes that were committed in Prijedor Municipality. However, while the perpetrators have been glorified, for example, in a memorial adjacent to Trnopolje concentration camp, family members of the victims have not been permitted to erect a memorial either in Trnopolje, or in the location of Omarska concentration camp, or in the center of Prijedor. Repeated efforts to erect a memorial have been frustrated by the Prijedor Municipal Assembly.
With the public glorification of the perpetrators, the prohibition of a memorial for the victims is clearly discriminatory. This prohibition constitutes a human rights violation, as well as a violation of Annex 7 of the Dayton Peace Accords. Annex 7 guaranteed the right of refugee return "without risk of intimidation, persecution, or discrimination." The parties agreed to create "social conditions conducive to the voluntary return and harmonious reintegration of refugees and displaced persons, without preference for any particular group."[i] The discriminatory prohibition of a memorial for the victims is a form of humiliation and psychological intimidation that discourages refugee return, impeding the original intention of Annex 7, and preventing the possibility of local reconciliation that such a memorial could facilitate.
In villages in the Prijedor area, such as Bišcani, Hambarine, and Kozarac, civilian homes, along with mosques, were shelled and burned.[ii] In this process, civilians were wounded and murdered. Witnesses reported houses being burned with civilians still inside.[iii] Groups of civilians were seized and transferred to concentration camps, including Omarska, Keraterm, and Trnopolje.[iv] In the camps, detainees suffered interrogations, inhumane conditions, food deprivation, humiliation, beatings, and murder.[v] Women faced rape.[vi] Detainees held in the "white house" at Omarska, faced heinous treatment: "many detainees died as a result of these repeated assaults on them in the white house."
In his recent book, Death in the White House, Mirsad Causevic, who was tortured in Omarska, writes, "I watched my friend's skull cave in from a heavy blow, as his blood spattered everywhere. ...I felt a sharp blow to my left kidney...I looked around and saw my attacker wearing the uniform of a policeman... He hit me again. And again, until I could not take it anymore and collapsed to my knees with a cry of pain...he moved on to my head. I felt warmth as blood spurted from my face...I passed out."[viii] This was the first of endless beatings he experienced in Omarska: "Everyday brought new indignities, new cruelties, as dozens would perish to satisfy their bloodlust." Mirsad witnessed others being beaten to death.
Read more...(English) (Bosnian)
High Representative
The Office of the High Representative
Emerika Bluma 1
71000 Sarajevo
Bosnia and Herzegovina
August 8, 2018
Your Excellency,
We are writing to urge you to advocate for a memorial for the 3,167 victims of the aggression perpetrated by the Bosnian Serbs against non-Serbs in Prijedor Municipality, which began in 1992.
The atrocities that were committed have been extensively documented in the proceedings of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, and in published books and other reports. There have been numerous convictions of the perpetrators, including on appeal, for the crimes that were committed in Prijedor Municipality. However, while the perpetrators have been glorified, for example, in a memorial adjacent to Trnopolje concentration camp, family members of the victims have not been permitted to erect a memorial either in Trnopolje, or in the location of Omarska concentration camp, or in the center of Prijedor. Repeated efforts to erect a memorial have been frustrated by the Prijedor Municipal Assembly.
With the public glorification of the perpetrators, the prohibition of a memorial for the victims is clearly discriminatory. This prohibition constitutes a human rights violation, as well as a violation of Annex 7 of the Dayton Peace Accords. Annex 7 guaranteed the right of refugee return "without risk of intimidation, persecution, or discrimination." The parties agreed to create "social conditions conducive to the voluntary return and harmonious reintegration of refugees and displaced persons, without preference for any particular group."[i] The discriminatory prohibition of a memorial for the victims is a form of humiliation and psychological intimidation that discourages refugee return, impeding the original intention of Annex 7, and preventing the possibility of local reconciliation that such a memorial could facilitate.
In villages in the Prijedor area, such as Bišcani, Hambarine, and Kozarac, civilian homes, along with mosques, were shelled and burned.[ii] In this process, civilians were wounded and murdered. Witnesses reported houses being burned with civilians still inside.[iii] Groups of civilians were seized and transferred to concentration camps, including Omarska, Keraterm, and Trnopolje.[iv] In the camps, detainees suffered interrogations, inhumane conditions, food deprivation, humiliation, beatings, and murder.[v] Women faced rape.[vi] Detainees held in the "white house" at Omarska, faced heinous treatment: "many detainees died as a result of these repeated assaults on them in the white house."
In his recent book, Death in the White House, Mirsad Causevic, who was tortured in Omarska, writes, "I watched my friend's skull cave in from a heavy blow, as his blood spattered everywhere. ...I felt a sharp blow to my left kidney...I looked around and saw my attacker wearing the uniform of a policeman... He hit me again. And again, until I could not take it anymore and collapsed to my knees with a cry of pain...he moved on to my head. I felt warmth as blood spurted from my face...I passed out."[viii] This was the first of endless beatings he experienced in Omarska: "Everyday brought new indignities, new cruelties, as dozens would perish to satisfy their bloodlust." Mirsad witnessed others being beaten to death.
Read more...(English) (Bosnian)
| appeal_to_high_representative_prijedor_bagi_08_08_18.pdf |
| pismo_predstavniku_prijedor_bagi_08_08_18.pdf |
March 23, 2016 – Nearly eight years have passed since the arrest of Radovan Karadzic, the first acting president of the small entity known as Republika Srpska located in Bosnia and Herzegovina. According to the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), Karadzic has been indicted on: two counts of genocide, five counts of crimes against humanity and four counts of violating the laws or customs of war for the genocide and aggression that occurred from April of 1992 to November of 1995. He has been accused of orchestrating a genocidal campaign of ethnic expulsion by forcing Bosnian Muslim and Bosnian Croat civilians to flee their homes through terror tactics that included: sexual assault, relocation, torture, imprisonment and murder among many other criminal acts.
On March 24, 2016, the ICTY will release a judgement in Radovan Karadzic’s case after interviewing over 500 witnesses and spending more than 400 days at trial. The Bosnian-American Genocide Institute and Education Center places a great deal of responsibility on the ICTY to deliver a ruling that will provide justice for the victims, survivors and their families. It is crucial for the communities and individuals who have been affected by ethnic expulsion, sexual assault, torture, detention and murder that they see justice in their lifetimes. We expect a guilty verdict on all counts of Radovan Karadzic’s indictment as well as the longest possible sentence considering the gravity of his crimes. It is no secret that the increase in nationalistic rhetoric and idolization of war criminals like Radovan Karadzic in Bosnia and Herzegovina is growing and we are very concerned. We would like for this ruling to be a seed of hope for the multi-ethnic Bosnia and Herzegovina that we all believe in. However, in order for that to happen we need more action from citizens, the local police and court system to prosecute perpetrators who have lived the last two decades consequence-free. We are here to hold the perpetrators accountable and combat genocide denial. As the world awaits the ruling for Radovan Karadzic’s trial, we want to honor and remember the lives that have been lost, destroyed or displaced by the aggression on Bosnia and Herzegovina. We see this ruling as an opportunity to advance the process of reconciliation. The pillars of reconciliation are grounded in truth and justice. We believe that the ICTY ruling will be that step towards the truth about the genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina and towards the justice that is needed for the victims and survivors of the genocide. We believe reconciliation is possible and we are certain that a guilty ruling will be a step forward towards a just and multi-ethnic Bosnia and Herzegovina. Ida SeferRoche, M.S.W., M.A. David Pettigrew, Ph.D. Refik Sadikovic, M.Ed. Djenita Svinjar, J.D. Azra Smailkadic-Brkic, M.A. Danica Anderson, Ph.D. Belma Sadikovic, M.Ed. |
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