Not long ago, the Pecat weekly published the book "Srebrenica: A
Historical Forgery." Its copies were largely distributed throughout
Serbia and Republika Srpska. When distribution was banned in the
Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina, the book's editor, Stefan
Karganovic, turned to the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in
Serbia claiming violation of his right to "free expression."
The fact that there are more and more claims as
such or similar to it in Serbia indicates that a number of sentences
passed in ICTY are being ignored. An ongoing campaign argues that
"the myth of Srebrenica, created by Muslims and the West,
destabilizes Serbia and prevents a dialogue between Serbs and
Muslims."
Republika Srpska's attempt at preventing Bosniaks
from getting registered for local elections in Srebrenica, also
testifies of the strategy for cementing the town's demographic
structure that emerged from genocide.
Almost on daily basis, the media in Serbia are
naming the war in Bosnia "a Serbs' liberation war" and Bosniaks
responsible for it. In the book "The War in Bosnia" published on the
eve of the elections of May 2012, the author, Dobrica Cosic, argues,
"Muslims declared war on Serbs planning to occupy the entire
territory of Bosnia-Herzegovina and eliminate Serbs from a first
Muslim republic in Europe."
The 1990s and their interpretation war the main
stumbling blocs in the way of normalization of the relations between
Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. The legacy of the Milosevic regime is
still Serbia's cross. Democratic players, emerging after Milosevic's
ouster, have not managed to reach a minimal consensus on unbiased
interpretation of the recent past and the way to overcome it.
Republika Srpska is not only Belgrade's booty - it is also a hostage
to the crime orchestrated by Belgrade.
The Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia
demands the state of Serbia to take a moral stand against any denial
of genocide and demands the newly elected parliament to pass a law
against such denials. |
