Questions regarding the institutionalized relativization of genocide denial by the University of Vienna

The Institute for the Research of Genocide Canada (IGC ) has sent an open letter to the University of Vienna, expressing significant concerns regarding the involvement of Professor Walter Manoschek in the Bosnian Genocide through his genocide denying activities.

The institute strongly criticized the position taken by the university, which brushed off Professor Manoschek's denial as a personal opinion. IGC highlighted the undeniable facts surrounding the university's association with such denial, underscoring the gravity of the situation.

IGC sought clarification on various important matters, including the university's position on the genocide, Professor Manoschek's behavior, the lack of an official response to the crisis it caused in Bosnia, and potential violations of the university's own Code of Conduct.

First letter

The response of the University of Vienna to the questions about the genocide denial

The reponse of University of Vienna to IGC was not signed, it contained no address nor appropriate salutation. It was missing basic letter-writing etiquette. Because the answer was not signed, it can not be assigned to any legal entity thus making it void.

IGC responded to the University of Vienna and expressed disappointment with the response received regarding genocide denial. The lack of proper salutation, signature, and address in the response was raised, questioning its validity. The IGC suggested that this lack of respect indicates a

disregard for the lives of Bosniaks and a failure to address questions concerning the serious crime of genocide.

Furthermore, IGC let UV know that Professor Manoschek was denying genocide in Srebrenica not only in the mentioned study but on other occasions as well.

IGC emphasized the importance of respect and a civilized manner of response, including proper salutations and greetings. The IGC expressed a desire to obtain answers to their previous questions.

Second letter

IGC never got an answer from the University of Vienna to this letter.

In addition to the Institute for the Research of Genocide Canada (IGC), the ZARA Association from Vienna has also written a letter to the University of Vienna. In their letter, they highlight the suspicion of incitement to hatred (§ 283 Abs1 Z3 StGB) in the online content published by Professor Manoschek regarding the Srebrenica Genocide, according to Austrian law.

Zara letter to the University of Vienna

The Mothers of Srebrenica have also issued an open letter to the University of Vienna, urging the institution to issue an apology for the denial of the genocide by their professor.

http://instituteforgenocide.org/support-for-mother-srebrenica-igc-action-regarding-genocide- deniers-at-the-university-of-vienna/

This was the official response of the University of Vienna to the Mothers of Srebrenica:

"Dear Sir or Madam,
The University of Vienna has already taken a position on this matter several times and will do it again:

There is a report on the Srebrenica genocide commissioned by the government of Republika srpska. A former employee of the University of Vienna also contributed to this report. Among other things, the report attempts to avoid, relativize or refute the term genocide in connection with the mass murders in Srebrenica. The University of Vienna does not share this opinion of the former employee. The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and the International Court of Justice ruled that the Srebrenica massacre constituted genocide. The University of Vienna agrees with this assessment.

We ask you to refrain from false allegations that the University of Vienna bears any responsibility in connection with the genocide in Srebrenica.

Yours sincerely"

Despite addressing the Rector directly in their letter, the response received from the University of Vienna lacked a signature from the Rector or any other individual. While the response did have a proper salutation, the absence of a signature raised concerns regarding the legitimacy and accountability of the reply.

The University of Vienna has not publicly distanced itself from Professor Manoschek, nor has it issued an apology regarding the matter.

The fact that the University of Vienna has not publicly distanced itself from the professor implies that it is condoning his denial of genocide. This is particularly worrying because universities are supposed to be centers of knowledge and critical thinking, where the pursuit of truth and the dissemination of accurate information should be paramount. Denial of genocide is a stage of genocide itself that can have grave consequences and can contribute to the perpetuation of violence and discrimination. Therefore, it is crucial for institutions of higher learning to take a firm stance against such harmful behavior.

The University of Vienna fails to call the genocide denial by its name. Instead they call it individual opinion of one of its employees, thus, reducing the genocide denial to the matter of opinion. Genocide denial is far more than an opinion, it is an integral part of genocide, it is the final stage of genocide.

Prof. Manoschek publicly made statements on the ARTE TV channel (4:08 min Arte TV) as a representative of the University of Vienna admitting that he wrote a study denying genocide.

This kind of behavior by the University of Vienna raises many serious questions:

1. Does the University of Vienna really believes that relativization of genocide is not genocide denial?

2. Does the University of Vienna know that the genocide denial is a stage of genocide itself?

3. The University of Vienna, being widely respected as an esteemed institution, has raised concerns as to how they have allowed themselves to respond in a manner that is both factually and formally insulting to both the Institute for the Research of Genocide Canada and the Mothers of Srebrenica. This has caused disappointment and questioned the university's adherence to proper communication standards and respect for the gravity of the matters at hand. The question arises as to whether the behavior exhibited by the University of Vienna is driven by sheer ignorance or fueled by Islamophobia?

4. There is a concern regarding whether the actions of the University of Vienna are potentially paving the way for a new genocide within the European Union. Do You think that is the case?

5. Do you think a new genocide in the EU is a possibility?

Esad S?irbegovic?
Member of the International Expert Team of the Institute for Research of Genocide Canada