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THE LETTER OF THE CANADIAN COMMUNUTY TO CANADIAN PARLIMANET
The World will commemorate the 15th Anniversary of the Srebrnica Genocide. We urge all members of Canadian Parliament to join in adopting Motion M - 416
February 05, 2010
Dear Members of the House of Commons,
The Congress of North American Bosniaks, The Institute for the Research of Genocide Canada, members of the Bosnian – Canadian Community and many Canadians urged you to support for Motion M-416 marking the 15th anniversary of the genocide in Srebrenica. Srebrenica Genocide is not a matter of anybody's opinion, it's a judicial fact recognized first by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia and subsequently by the International Court of Justice. Canadian implementation of the Motion M – 416 cite the importance of learning the lessons of the Holocaust as well as genocides to prevent similar tragedies in the future. We cannot condone denial, we cannot remain passive in the face of euphemistic, watered-down terminology used by apologists for the deniers.
We appreciate all the hard work by Bosnian Canadian organizations and individuals throughout Canada, educating their federal, provincial, territorial and local legislators about the Srebrenica Genocide and the terrible consequences of its denial.
Please see: In attachment is the letter to Members of Canadian Parliament of The Association of Concentration-camp Detainees Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mothers of Srebrenica and Zepa Enclaves, The Association of Women Victims of War, Institute for Missing Persons, and Union of Civil War Victims of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Professor Emir Ramic
President of the Congress of North American Bosniaks, Branch Canada and Chair of the Institute for the Research of Genocide Canada
http://www.instituteforgenocide.ca/
The Association of Concentration-camp Detainees Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Humanitarian Law Center (HLC) in Serbia
The Association Mothers of Srebrenica and Zepa Enclaves
The Association of Women Victims of War
The Institute for Missing Persons
The Union civil war victims of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
To: Members of the House of Commons of the Canadian Parliament
Dear Members of the Parliament,
We are writing to thank you on our behalf, as well as on behalf of victims of the genocide for taking steps to recognize the genocide that occurred in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s town of Srebrenica in the summer of 1995. Motion M-416 is presently before the parliament of Government of Canada as a parliamentary procedure which aims to mark July 11 as a Day of Remembrance and the week of July 11 as a Tribute Week to commemorate victims of the Srebrenica genocide.
The initiation of the parliamentary procedures to pass Resolution M-416 has genuinely touched our hearts and souls. To all survivors of grave atrocities but particularly to thousands of mothers, wives, daughters, and grandmothers who have lost their menfolk during those evil days, this gesture of remembrance is a great honor and a reprieve from our sorrow. By passing this resolution the people of Canada will have joined us under the banner of humanity to speak on behalf of all those innocent boys and men whose lives now stand as a testament to the injustices of our time. Let us stand firmly on the side of righteousness and pay homage to victims by fighting the dangers of oblivion.
Below we remind you of some documented facts and findings regarding the evil tragedy that unfolded in Bosnia and Herzegovina at the end of the 20th century:
1. The Bosnian tragedy was an armed aggression against the civilians and sovereignty of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In other words, according to the basic understanding and definition, the international armed conflict which ensued, was a crime against the peace and safety of mankind, marking a clear distinction between the aggressors and the victims.
2. Abhorrent crimes against humanity, including genocide, were systematically committed on the territory of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina against the Bosniak civil population under siege.
3. Serbian ultranationalistic elite (political, intellectual, and clerical), in accordance with the Serbian project of Greater Serbia - namely, “all Serbs in one state” - during the last decade of 20th century, caused an internal crisis in SFRY {Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia} and destroyed the common state.
4. The Republic of Serbia, by the Amendments to the Constitution of 28 September 1990 seceded (from SFRY) and unlawfully assumed the functions of an independent and sovereign state. In so doing, it violated the constitutional law of SFRY and committed the gravest of criminal offenses by attacking neighboring Republics..
5. The aggression against Bosnia and Herzegovina and the genocide against Bosniaks were meticulously planned (intellectually, ideologically, politically, militarily, economically, etc.), well in advance of actual events. The objectives and operations of these acts of crimes against humanity received command from the highest echelons of political and military centers, and were executed in a planned, organized, and systematic fashion. All those responsible, from leaders, planners, commanders, executors and associates, are well known. Their crimes and motives have been investigated and proven in the international court of law.
6. The genocide against Bosniaks in Bosnia and Herzegovina was well envisaged and efficiently executed, with an unfortunately massive involvement of the Serbian people. Based on a study of the Government of Republika Srpska, more than 25,000 persons participated (in various capacities) in the genocide against Bosniaks of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the UN safe area of Srebrenica, in July 1995.
7. The aggression against the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, along with the Arms Embargo and lack of humanitarian aid, as insisted upon by the United Nations, Europe, and international community, was an integral part of the Slobodan Milošević’s state policy. The international strategy of of ignoring the genocidal project of Greater Serbia – in whose name a large portions of Bosnia and Herzegovina was were forcibly occupied, pillaged with thousands of Bosniak civilians] raped, and tortured. – resulted in the genocide and expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Bosniaks.
8. Collaborationists of the Greater Serbian aggressor (political, military, police, and administrative-executive potential of Republika Srpska, that is, official Republika Srpska authorities) under the direct management, organization, command, participation and support of the states Serbia and Montenegro / Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, which occupied more than 70% of the territory of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, took part in genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes against Bosniaks.
9. The fascist and genocidal leadership of the collaborationist creation of Republika Srpska, with Radovan Karadžić, MomÄilo Krajišnik, Biljana Plavšić and others at its head, inaugurated the so called "Republic" whose foundations are built on a genocidal intentions to exterminate Bosniaks and all traces of their existence in the region.
10. Despite an overwhelming amount of evidence, the genocide against Bosniaks is still concealed, minimized, and/or contested. Considering rulings by the international (ICTY and ICJ) and national (Federal Republic of Germany and Bosnia and Herzegovina) criminal courts, as well as results by the Commission for the Research of the Events in and around Srebrenica from 10 to 19 July 1995 by the Republika Srpska Government and the Working Group for the Implementation of Conclusions from the Final Report of the Commission for the Research of Events in and around Srebrenica from 10 to 19 July 1995, ignoring one of the most blatant acts of violence against humanity in the 20th century is utterly unacceptable!
11. The victims of genocide and the perpetrators of genocide have been permanently and continuously equalized. This is unacceptable.
12. Tragically, we continually witness propaganda campaigns aimed at spreading rumors and disinformation about the genocide victims in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Particularly troubling are opinions of academics of ill-repute who manage to spread disinformation farther and farther, completely ignoring the integrity and verifiability of the actual state of affairs.
13. The planners, commanders, participants, accessories, co-perpetrators, and perpetrators of genocide are in the Greater Serbian ideology, politics, and practice, idealized, glorified, and hailed as the biggest heroes of the Serbian people (in science, culture, art, education). They not only live unpunished, but worse yet, profit from the loot obtained through genocide, all the while mocking the victims of their crimes.
14. The Serbian people and its political and scientific elite have not distanced themselves from the committed genocide, let alone apologized to victims or asked for their forgiveness. Instead, they fabricate and forge historical facts, keep denying genocide as a myth, and transfer responsibility to the victim of genocide, as if the aggressor and the victim are one and the same.
15. The entity of Republika Srpska is a genocidal creation of the Greater Serbian regime. It is created on grave violations of international humanitarian law. It is marked and soaked in a Bosniak blood, ili, in a blood of Bosniak people and bordered and covered with numerous mass graves and concentration camps. This genocidal creation was legalized by the creation of Republika Srpska as a Constitutional unit of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Political leadership and other structures of Republika Srpska, in accordance with great [Greater] Serbian genocidal ideology, policy, and practice, obstruct in all possible ways the strengthening of Bosnia and Herzegovina as a sovereign state. As long the leaders of this fascist entity continue to pursue the policy of cessation, destruction, and annulment of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina, stability and justice in the region will be nothing more than wishful thinking.
What we have listed above are only the most basic facts, deeply engraved in the minds of all the survivors of genocide and other forms of crimes against humanity and international law. These facts constitute an integral part of a social reality which continues to exist today. As long as those responsible for the blood shed in Bosnia and Herzegovina continue to maintain (live and legalize) the fascist projects on which their entity was founded on, deny the political-legal and state continuity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, deny the possibility of common living and affirm this position, raising most serious doubts into the universal human values, freedoms and rights, civilization, and cultural legacy, the permanent stability of Bosnia and Herzegovina will never come to fruition.
Indeed, it is time to align ourselves on the side of justice and fight for the sustainability of human dignity in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in Canada. When we succeed, the surviving genocide victims will have their place and role, and those whose lives have been taken will be commemorated in a testament to our united struggle against injustice!
Canada’s commitment to peacekeeping is well recognized and appreciated in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We hold Canadians in high regard and this motion is yet another proof of your high moral standards and commitment to human rights, peace and justice. On behalf of all the innocent victims of genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina, we appeal to you to adopt the proposed Resolution M-416. On 11th of July 2010, we will mark the 15th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide, and we respectfully ask that you do your utmost to have the Resolution adopted by this time. With this hope, we extend our heartfelt gratitude and respect.
Most sincere regards,
Murat Tahirovic
President of Association of Concentration-camp Detainees Bosnia and Herzegovina
Nataša Kandić
Founder and Executive Director of the Humanitarian Law Center (HLC) in Serbia
Munira Subašić
President of the Association Mothers of Srebrenica and Zepa Enclaves
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