Srebrenica 2012

It’s been announced few days ago that local Serb community in Srebrenica have intention to organize “Petrovdan days” in and around Srebrenica on or about July 11th. For those who (still) don’t know, on July 11th this year more than 520 identified bodies of Genocide victims will be buried at Potočari Genocide Memorial Center. Burial day has been set for July 11th almost a decade ago, and every year on this date exhumed and identified bodies were buried at Potočari Genocide Memorial Center. “Petrovdan days tradition” in Srebrenica commences this year.

On 26th February 2007, ICTY judgment confirmed that the Srebrenica massacre was genocide. Among other things, ICTY judgment is stating:

“The Court concludes that the acts committed at Srebrenica falling within Article II (a) and (b) of the Convention were committed with the specific intent to destroy in part the group of the Muslims of Bosnia and Herzegovina as such; and accordingly that these were acts of genocide, committed by members of the VRS in and around Srebrenica from about 13 July 1995″

According to available information, “Petrovdan days” event includes Serbian orthodox religion ceremonies, football tournament, spiritual religious and nationalistic music events, including other music concerts, and “happy hour” events. It’s more than obvious that timing for this “festival” is intentionally set to bring Serb visitors in the state of religious delirium, then to have them drunk, and ultimately to make them provoke and irritate those who will be there to mourn 520 genocide victims.

This is pure and simple open and dangerous provocation of the Bosnian population in Srebrenica. It seems like that those who don’t recognize and/or accept official and final ICTY judgment regarding Srebrenica war crime legal qualification are allowed, not only to openly contradict and oppose ICTY judgment, but also to provoke aggravate and harass genocide survivors including those who lost almost entire families. I checked, and this humiliating practice towards genocide victim survivors hasn’t been seen in Rwanda, Africa. Rwandan Hutus show more respect towards their victims Tutsis, thus showing to the entire world that they are more civilized then Bosnian Serbs.

Current “plan” of Bosnian political parties, focused to motivate and alert Bosnians all over Bosnia and worldwide, counting on their conscious and emotions, to register and vote on local municipal elections shows short sighted and basically useless strategic political objective. Dangerous situation created with the announcement of these “Petrovdan days” event practically shows how weak and powerless is authority of Mayor of Srebrenica. Right now Mayor of Srebrenica is Bosnian. Reader of this text must understand that according to Law of local community (Municipality) self management in Republic of Srpska, Mayor of municipality Srebrenica is authorized to:

1. Represent Municipality (within centralized structure of Republic of Srpska)

2. Manage local administrative apparatus (which means that he is chief in only one building in Srebrenica down town.

All major decisions about and regarding Srebrenica (security, jobs, roads, education, culture, sports), are directed from Banja Luka, administrative center of centralized Republic of Srpska.

Mayor of Srebrenica doesn’t have a jurisdiction over Police force in Srebrenica. By the way, Police of Republic of Srpska is also mentioned in ICTY Srebrenica genocide judgment, as a part of Serbian military and paramilitary forces who physically contributed to genocide by killing war prisoners and all other victims of genocide. This literary means that many of those who were part of firing squads, those who were killing in cold blood war prisoners, still work as a police officers in and around Srebrenica. Mayor does not have jurisdiction over a single one important issue that could help Bosnian population in Srebrenica.
So, why such a fuss and commotion over the insignificant position of Mayor of Srebrenica?

Incompetent Bosnian politicians are using sentiment and deep emotions of the entire Bosnian population to gain few political points, which is in a long term very much irresponsible for the people they are “pretending to represent”. They are trying to justify themselves (especially SDA political party) for not doing practically nothing for Srebrenica in the period after the war when they had their Mayor “in power”. During this period millions of (donated) dollars were magically vanished or spent on doubtful projects. Who knows what kind of secrets Municipal archive hides? What if they fall into the wrong hands? What if and when Bosnian populations in Srebrenica finally begin to understand how useful and powerless is figure of Srebrenica Mayor? And what now when donations are almost zero? How will they buy supporters? Long term strategy of almost all Bosnian political parties concerning Srebrenica are so shortsighted and restricted in logical sense.
Nevertheless, their current struggle for power seems to be more important than proper and well thought-out strategy for the future faith of Srebrenica. Unfortunately they show that on a daily basis.

However, Bosnians do not deserve to be abandoned by International community because of their irresponsible and reckless political leadership. Real democracy and Peace, as pre-conditions for lasting peace failed in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This is first and foremost, but not only, result of unfinished war, unjust peace and Srebrenica genocide. Big part for this failure should be accredited towards lack of unity within European Union and Peace implementation Council countries. Milorad Dodik and his inflammatory rhetoric and deeds are almost rewarded by PIC. The worse Dodik gets, PIC gets even softer towards him and his demands, thus further annoying other two constitutional peoples. High Representative and OHR itself is main topic of jokes, ever since American Army left the Bosnia in European care in early 2006. Serb politics is showing over and over again, throughout centuries, that only argument they take seriously is row power and military strength. Europeans just don’t get it, or if they do understand it, their agenda towards future developments in Bosnia should worry us all.

This is why all Bosnians, along with all others in international community, especially European Union and USA (who still owe us big time for DPA annex IV), and who should’ve helped Srebrenica population before genocide, but they haven’t - SHOULD NOW DEMAND ultimate justice for Srebrenica. That justice is so clear and without alternative, if lasting peace in this region is real goal for all of us. It should be enforced and imposed by foreign military force in order to extract Srebrenica municipality territory from Republic of Srpska and unite it with Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

• Only then, Europe would finally pay her dues towards Bosnia, and redeem herself.

• Only then, Entity of Republic of Srpska would be punished instead of rewarded for taking (decisive and key) part in genocide, ethnic cleansing, and other numerous (proven) war crimes.

• Only then genocide survivors would be able to visit Memorial Center Potočari in peace, without fear and provocations by drunken Nazi sympathizers, and their loud hillbilly music during funeral processing.

• Only then, Bosnian “Treblinka” and survivors of genocide would not be “guarded and protected by” former mass murderers and active participants in only European genocide after WWII, as they are today.

• Only then famous (but useless and empty promise and pledge) “never again”, said and wrote after WWII atrocities of holocaust and genocide, would make sense to people who live in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

• Only then we shall null and void results and territorial gains of Republic of Srpska obtained with genocide, war crimes and unjust peace.

• Only then we shall prevent another war…

(TIP/Autor Nermin Bajić)