Otvoreno pismo za gospodin Lakshmi Mittal i Arcelor Mittal S.A.

22. augusta 2014. godine

Otvoreno pismo za gospodin Lakshmi Mittal i Arcelor Mittal S.A.

Obraćamo Vam se ovim pismom jer Vaše djelovanje u vezi s bivšim logorom Omarska smatramo neprihvatljivim i potpuno nemoralnim. Kako nećete da odgovorite na naša prethodna pisma koja su slali naši pravnici iz Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer iz Londona, nalazimo da je otvoreno pismo jedini mogući način da privučemo Vašu pažnju.

Iako znamo da ste svjesni ovih činjenica, ipak bismo Vas podsjetili da je Omarska jedan od najozloglašenijih koncentracionih logora na evropskom tlu od Drugog svjetskog rata u kojem su se tokom nekoliko mjeseci u ljeto 1992. godine desila monstruozna smaknuća, fizička, psihološka i seksualna mučenja, i masovna ubistva. TakoÄ‘er bismo Vas željeli podsjetiti da je više od 700 mještana prijedorske opštine nesrpske nacionalnosti ubijeno upravo u tom logoru. Imajući u vidu ove činjenice, željeli bismo Vas dalje podsjetiti na obećanja Vaše kompanije i dogovore s nama u svojstvu bivših logoraša i aktivista.

ArcelorMittal S.A. je 14. januara 2005. godine dao usmenu saglasnost da će Bijela kuća u Omarskoj koja je korištena kao objekat za mučenje i u kojoj su mnogi logoraši izgubili živote ostati netaknuta i nepromijenjena. Ispred ArcelorMittala S.A. je, tokom istog tog sastanka, izvršni direktor za Evropu Roeland Baan, a kojem su ispred Fondacije Optimisti 2004 i drugih organizacija iz Bosne i Hercegovine prisustvovali Satko Mujagić i Sten Fierant dao obećanje da će pristup, odnosno ulazak u bivši logor biti dozvoljen u svaka doba. Štaviše, ArcelorMittal S.A. je tokom pres-konferencije održane u Banjoj Luci 1. decembra 2005 izjavio da će u Omarskoj biti izgraÄ‘en memorijalni centar finansiran sredstvima ArcelorMittala S.A. na 34 jutra zemlje iza i oko Bijele kuće.

MeÄ‘utim, unutrašnjost Bijele kuće je prekrečena i na taj način su dokazi o počinjenim ratnim zločinima pokriveni i prikriveni. Štaviše, obećanje o slobodnom pristupu je naknadno promijenjeno putem emaila u kojem je rečeno da će ulazak biti dozvoljen samo na dva datuma komemoracije, 24. maja i 6. avgusta, dok će posjete drugim danima biti dopuštene na blagovremeno podnešen zahtjev. Isto tako, gotovo deset godina kasnije, u Omarskoj ne postoji ništa da nagovijesti činjenicu da se Omarska koristila kao logor, a kamoli da je izgradjen memorijalni centar.

Umjesto toga, zadnjih godina aktivisti redovno nailaze na sabotaže i zabrane komemoracija u Omarskoj kako od strane ArcelorMittala S.A. tako i od strane lokalnih organa vlasti koji djelima, provokacijama i negiranjem genocida počinjenog u Prijedoru jasno pristaju uz nacionalističku ideologiju iz 1992. godine koja je odgovorna za nezamislive horore poput Omarske prvenstveno sa svojim voÄ‘ama  kao što su Radovan Karadžić i Ratko Mladić kojima se trenutno u Hagu sudi po optužbama za genocid.

Jedan od primjera učešÄ‡a Arcelor Mittala u sabotažama i zabranama komemorativnih skupova jeste nedozvoljavanje pristupa grupi aktivista ÄŒetiri lica Omarske iz Beograda pod voÄ‘stvom Milice Tomić, zajedno sa profesorom Eyalom Weizmannom i njegovim saradnicima sa Goldsmith univerziteta iz Londona 14. aprila 2012. godine.

Još jedan primjer je sprečavanje predsjednika MeÄ‘unarodnog krivičnog suda za bivšu Jugoslaviju, g. Teodora Merona, koji je lično preživio Holokaust, da uÄ‘e 26. novembra 2013. godine u glavnu zgradu bivšeg logora.

Ove godine, Oružane snage Bosne i Hercegovine su spriječene da uÄ‘u u bivši logor kako bi odale počasti svojim prisustvom tokom godišnje komemoracije 6. avgusta 2014. godine. Ovog ljeta, isti elitni skvadron je bio prisutan na komemoraciji održanoj u bivšem logoru Keraterm 24. jula i na lokaciji masovne grobnice Hrastova Glavica 5. avgusta, obe lokacije u prijedorskoj regiji. MeÄ‘utim, pristup im je bio onemogućen kako bi ih se spriječilo da se u Omarskoj pridruže bivšim logorašima, preživjelim članovima porodica, meÄ‘unarodnim studentima, gostima i aktivistima iz različitih zemalja, te nekolicini medijskih kuća.

Vrlo smo zbunjeni djelovanjem i motivima Arcelor Mittala S.A. Ukoliko ArcelorMittal S.A. nije direktno odgovoran za ove zabrane, onda se pitamo kako to jedna od najvećih multinacionalnih kompanija može dozvoliti da im se ime povlači po nastavljenom, bezoružanom, procesu genocida u Prijedoru u kojem je uskraćivanje pristupa logoru zadnja faza istog?

Ovo je već otišlo toliko daleko da Vam se ne obracamo više tek kao dotični bivši logoraši, aktivisti, i stanovnici opštine Prijedor, nego takoÄ‘er i zabrinuti ljudi koji svakodnevno zapažaju ludilo nacionalizma u svom vrhuncu i pasivnost meÄ‘unarodnih aktera u pogledu istog. Slogan Vaše kompanije preobražavajući sutrašnjicu (engl. transforming tomorrow) postaje donekle upitan u tom smislu pošto Vi direktno, ili indirektno, podržavate tekuća dešavanja, opisana u prethodnom tekstu. Vaši motivi, razlozi, i moralno stajalište su takoÄ‘er veoma upitni, i mi smatramo da je vaša uloga u ovoj priči postala sramotna.

Željeli bismo čuti Vaš komentar na objelodanjena dešavanja, i još jednom bismo Vas željeli pozvati na sastanak što je moguće prije, u Prijedoru ili ako Vam je teško posjetiti nas – mi bismo mogli doći da se sastanemo s Vama u vašem sjedištu bilo u Luksemburgu ili u Londonu, da porazgovaramo o realizaciji vaših obećanja i dogovora.

 

Unaprijed se radujemo Vašem otvorenom odgovoru,

Satko Mujagić i Azra Muranović u ime grupe Čuvari Omarske (preko 10.000 članova)

Jasmin Mesković u ime Saveza Logoraša u Bosni i Hercegovini

Mirsad Duratović I Sudbin Musić u ime Udruženja Logoraša Prijedor ‘92

Sabahudin Garibović u ime Udruženja Logoraša Kozarac 

 

Pismo podrzano od:

 

Goran Zorić i Nikola Kuridža u ime Udruženja Mladih ’KVART’, Prijedor, Bosna I Hercegovina

Radna Grupa ÄŒetiri Lica Omarske, Beograd, Srbija

Behzad ÄŒirkin, poslanik u Narodnoj Skusptini Republike Srpske, Bosna I Hercegovina

Fikret Alić bivsi logoras Keraterma i Trnopolja ciji su snimci doveli do raspustanja logora Keraterm i Omarska, kao i osnivanja Medjunarodnog krivicnog Tribunala u Den Hagu

Murat Tahirović u ime Udruzenja Zrtava I Svjedoka genocida, Bosnia i Herzegovina

Mirsad Tokača, Istrazivacko Dokumentacioni Centar, Sarajevo, Bosna i Hercegovina

Dr. Susan Schuppli, Senior Istrazivac & Koordinator u Centru za Forenzicku Arhitekturu Goldsmiths Univerziet London, Velika Britanija

Dr. Marko Attila Hoare, Fakultet Umjetnosti i Drustvenih Nauka,

Kingston Univerzitet, London, Velika Britanija

Dr. David Pettigrew, Profesor Filozofije Southern CT State University

Clan Upravnog odbora Univerziteta Yale “Program Genocid studija”

Clan uprave Bosansko Americkog Instituta za Genocid, Chicago, Ilinois

i Medjunarodnog tima strucnjaka Instituta za Istrazivanje Genocida, Kanada.

Sten Fierant, bivsi clan upravnog odbora Fondacije Optimisti 2004, Holandija

Geerlof de Moojj, osvajac nagrade Kraljevske Akademije Nauka 2013 za esej:” Genocid u Bosni I Hercegovini”, Holandija

Amir Jatić u ime Platforma BiH, krovna organizacija udruzenja Bosanaca i Hercegovaca u Holandiji

Emir Ramić u ime Instituta za Istrazivanje Genocida, Kanada

Sanja Seferović Drnovšek , J.D. and Ed.M

Predsjednik Bosansko Americki Institut za Genocid I Edukaciju

Clan Komisije za Holokaust i Genocid drzave Ilinois, Sjedinjene Americke Drzave

Dr. Hariz Halilović, naucnik o pitanjima genocida i autor knjige "Mjesta bola" (Berghahn, 2013). Monash Univerzitet, Melbourne, Australija.

Ajla Delkić, Izvrsni direktor Savjetodavnog Vijeca za Bosnu I Hercegovinu, Washington D.C., Sjedinjene Americke Drzave

Chris Keulemans, novinar i autor: “Omarska 15 godina kasnije”, Amsterdam, Holandija

Prof. Dr. Dzemal Sokolović

Prof. dr.  Lada Sadiković, Fakultet za Kriminologiju, Kriminalistiku i Sigurnosne studije, Univerzitet Sarajevo, Bosna I Hercegovina

 

August 22nd 2014

Open letter to Mr Lakshmi Mittal and ArcelorMittal S.A.

We are now writing you this letter as we find your partaking regarding the former concentration camp of Omarska unacceptable and completely immoral. As you will not respond to the pervious letters sent by our lawyers of the Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer from London, we find an open letter to be the only possible way to gain your attention.

Even though we know that you are aware of these facts we will still like to remind you that Omarska is the most notorious concentration camp on European soil since the Second World War where monstrous executions, physical, psykological and sexual tortures, and summary killings occurred during a few summer months in 1992. We would also like to remind you that there are over 700 non-Serb inhabitants of the Prijedor municipality that were killed in that precise camp. Having in mind these facts, we would further like to remind you of your companies promises and agreements to us, as former camp detainees and activists.

On January 14th 2005 ArcelorMittal S.A. orally agreed that the White House in Omarska, that was used as a torture chamber and were many detainees lost their lives, would stay intact and untouched. ArcelorMittal S.A. also promised during the same meeting between former CEO Europe Roeland Baan representing Mittal and Satko Mujagic and Sten Fierant (representing Optimisti 2004 Foundation and other organisations), that the entrance to the former concentration camp will be allowed at all times. Moreover, ArcelorMittal S.A. stated in a press conference in Banja Luka, December 1th 2005, that there would be a construction of a memorial centre at Omarska financed by ArcelorMittal S.A. with 34 acres of land behind and around the White House.

Yet, the inside of the White House was repainted and by that the evidences of war crimes were covered and hidden. What is more, the promise of free entrance was modified later on in an email that stated that the entrance will only be allowed on two commemoration dated, May 24th and August 6th, while visits on other dates would be allowed upon requests on time. Likewise, almost ten years later there is nothing in Omarska that gives a hint of the fact that Omarska used to be a concentration camp let alone a memorial centre.

Instead, activists face sabotage and restrictions of commemorations in Omarska every single time in recent years both from ArcelorMittal S.A. and the local authorities whose actions, provocations, and denial of the genocide in Prijedor clearly sympathise with the nationalistic ideology of 1992 which was responsible for unthinkable horrors like Omarska in the first place with their leaders such as Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic who at moment find themselves in The Hague facing charges of genocide.

One of the examples of ArcelorMittal S.A. partaking in the sabotage and restriction of commemorating gatherings was the refusal of entrance to the activist group Four Faces of Omarska from Belgrade lead by Milica Tomic, together with the professor Eyal Weizmann and his associates from Goldsmith University from London on April 14th 2012.

Another example is the hindering of the President of the International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia, a holocaust survivor, Mr. Theodor Meron on November 26th 2013 to enter the main building of the former concentration camp.

This year the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina were hindered to enter the former concentration camp in order to pay their respects with their presence during the annual commemoration on August 6th. This summer, the same elite squadron were present at the commemoration in the former concentration camp of Keraterm on July 24th and the mass grave Hrastova Glavica on August 5th, both situated in the region of Prijedor. Yet, their entrance was denied in order to prevent them from joining the former detainees, surviving family members, international students, guests and activists from different countries, and several media houses in Omarska.

We find ourselves very confused in the partaking and motives of ArcelorMittal S.A. If ArcelorMittal S.A. is not directly responsible for these restrictions, we wonder how one of the largest multinational companies can allow their name to be dragged in the continuing, weapon-less, process of genocide in Prijedor where denial is the last checkpoint?

This has gone so far that we are not merely concerned former detainees, activists, and inhabitants of the municipality of Prijedor, but also concerned human beings, on a daily basis, observing the madness of nationalism at it’s peak and international actors’ passiveness to the mentioned. Your company’s slogan transforming tomorrow becomes somewhat questionable in this sense as you are directly, or indirectly, supporting the on-going situation described above. Your motives, reasons, and moral standing are also highly questionable and we find that your part in this story has become disgraceful.

We would like your comment on what is revealed above, and we would once again like to call you to a meeting as soon as possible in Prijedor, or if you find it difficult to visit us we could meet at your headquarters either in Luxemburg or London, to discuss the implementation of your promises and agreements.

We look forward to your open reply,

 

Satko Mujagic and Azra Muranovic on behalf of the group Guardians of Omarska (over 10.000 members)

Jasmin Meskovic on behalf of the Union of the Concentration-camp Detainees of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Mirsad Duratovic and Sudbin Music on behalf of the Association of the Concentration-camp Detainees Prijedor ‘92

Sabahudin Garibovic on behalf of the Association of the Concentration-camp detainees Kozarac

 

Supported by:

 

Goran Zoric and Nikola Kuridza on behalf of the Youth Association ’KVART’, Prijedor

Working group Four Faces of Omarska, Belgrade, Serbia.

Behzad Cirkin, Member of the National Assembly of Republika Srpska

Fikret Alic, former camp prisoner of Keraterm and Trnopolje camps whose images led to the closing of Keraterm and Omarska camps and initiated the founding of International Criminal Tribunal for ex-Yugoslavia

Murat Tahirovic on behalf of the Association of Witnesses and Victims of Genocide, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Mirsad Tokaca, Research and Documentation Centre, Sarajevo

Dr. Susan Schuppli, Senior Research Fellow & Project Coordinator Forensic Architecture Centre for Research Architecture

Goldsmiths, University of London

Dr Marko Attila Hoare, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

Kingston University, London

David Pettigrew, PhD, Professor of Philosophy. Southern CT State University.

Member, Steering Committee, Yale University Genocide Studies Program

Board Member, Bosnian American Genocide Institute and Education Center, Chicago, IL International Team of Experts, Institute for Research of Genocide Canada.

Sten Fierant, former board member of the Foundation Optimisti 2004, The Netherlands

Geerlof de Moojj, winner of the price of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Science in 2013 for his essay ‘Genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina’

Amir Jatić on behalf of Platform BiH, umbrella organization of Bosnian associations in the Netherlands

Emir Ramic on behalf of the Institute for Research of Genocide, Canada

Sanja Seferovic Drnovsek , J.D. and Ed.M

President, Bosnian American Genocide Institut and Education Center. Member of the Illinois Holocaust & Genocide Commission, USA

Dr Hariz Halilovich, Genocide Scholar and Author of "Places of Pain" (Berghahn, 2013). Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.

Ajla Delkic, Executive Director, Advisory Council for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Washington D.C.

Chris Keulemans, Journalist and Author, “Omarska 15 years on”, The Netherlands

Prof. Dr Dzemal Sokolovic

Prof. dr.  Lada Sadiković

School of Criminology and Security Studies, University of Sarajevo