Vijesti
Outlawing of genocide denials in the region of former Yugoslavia
European Parliament
The Committee on Foreign Affairs
Afet-sectretariata@europarl.europa.eu
Fax: +322 284 9013 ( Brussels)
+332 881 76902 (Strasburg)
RE: Outlawing of genocide denials in the region of former Yugoslavia
Date: 08/29/11
Dear Ms. Albertini,
I am writing to you in order to petition to the European Union to demand the paving of a way for a legal ban, in the region of former Yugoslavia, of denials of genocide against Bosniaks during the aggression on Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) from 1992 to 1995. Presently, in the region of former Yugoslavia, no legal measure prevents individuals and organizations from denying judicially recognized acts of genocide (i.e. Srebrenica genocide), nor does a measure exist to require the truth to be told in educational systems across the region—allowing for the continuation of denials of genocide and fuelling of hatred in the youngest minds, those on whom we rely to create a better, more peaceful tomorrow in the region.
The outlawing of denials of Holocaust and other forms of genocide would ensure that we maintain a democratic society concerned for morality and the general welfare of its citizens. It would also work to prevent in the future unfortunate acts of hate crime such as the most recent attack in Norway . The perpetrator of those horrendous anti-Islamist and crimes against humanity, Anders Breivik, is known to have been inspired by the propaganda of Serb nationalists, perpetrators of genocide and genocide deniers such as Radovan Karadzic and Srdja Trifkovic.
Fifteen European countries have already prohibited the denials of Holocaust, and some of them have extended this ban to include all forms of genocide. Despite the number of internationally proven cases of genocide, heard by the most prestigious judges in the world, many cases of genocide and holocaust denials are heard regularly.
The denial of genocide against Bosniaks is one of the key issues preventing the cooperation among Bosnia’s three ethnic groups whose tensions delay the creation of a holocaust and genocide denial Law.
Bosnia’s Serbs have repeatedly been against such a legislation when Bosniak Members of Parliament in the Bosnian Parliament proposed legislation on criminalizing the denial of Holocaust, genocide and crimes against humanity, in 2007 and 2009.
Recently, in both Bosnia and Serbia, political motivation exists to pass these laws; in Bosnia, the Bosniak-Croat Federation passed a Srebrenica Genocide resolution on July 13, 2011 but a nation-wide passing of a law has been continuously blocked by the second entity within Bosnia, Republika Srpska (a genocidal creation of the Dayton Agreement) . Even Serbia has showed signs of recognizing the atrocities that took place, but it stopped short at calling events at Srebrenica “atrocities,” and not “genocide.”
Of particular importance to the former-Yugoslavian region is the role of the European Union. EU pressure would help bring an end to the lies, denial, and a persisting tension that in effect aims to destroy the Bosnian statehood.
It is our hope that the EU, in its responsibility to exert pressure on potential additions to the Union demands that they enact legislation that will outlaw the denial of genocide. This will have important and far-reaching effects not only on the stability and prosperity of the nations directly in question, but is vital to the European integration process and to the security of the entire European Union as a whole.
Sincerely,
Sanja Seferovic-Drnovsek J.D., Med, Chair, Bosnian American Genocide Institute and Education Center (BAGI)
Prof. Emir Ramic, mr.sc. President, Institute for the Research of Genocide Canada (IRGC)
http://www.instittutefor genocide.ca
Haris Alibasic, MPA, President the Congress of North American Bosniaks (CNAB)
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