Rememberance and Denial

Recently, the EU Parliament declared July 11th the “day of commemoration of the Srebrenica genocide.” (For more information on this proclamation, please see these blog posts from Cafe Turco and the Srebrenica-Genocide Blog. )

While I personally believe that EU commemoration is a welcomed and important (and will hopefully drive another nail into the proverbial coffin of those who have attempted to deny or distort the genocide in Srebrenica); In Bosnia, a proposed law dealing with Holocaust and genocide denial faced a much more complex, politically fraught, and ultimately dead end. According to Balkan Insight:

On December 17, 2008, Bosnia’s House of Representatives rejected
a draft law to prohibit the denial, minimization, justification or
approval of the Holocaust or genocidal crimes and crimes against
humanity.

The law failed to pass when 11 Representatives from the RS voted against it. Deputies from the Union of Independent Social Democrats stated that they voted against the proposal because the Criminal Code of BiH already dealt with the issue, so there was no need for a new law.

 But as the Balkan Insight article noted, post-war politics played another important reason for their voting against the law. In the opinion of Representative Lazar Prodanovic:

“War crimes are a sensitive issue in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” 

  ”I am not sure this law would actually lead to reconciliation and
justice fulfillment. This law pertained to the verdict on Srebrenica
passed down by the International Court of Justice. We, therefore,
consider that its adoption would cause disagreement and even animosity.”

Amir Kulagic, who survived the genocide in Srebrenica expressed his own pessimism that a similar law would pass in BiH, he noted:

“But looking at the current situation I’m not optimistic. I think this
issue will become politicized, and in the end, bring no benefits to
the victims”

While the issue of specific commemorations can be passed or vetoed, there is the larger issue of how to best deal with issues of Holocaust denial and hate speech. Branko Todorovic, President of the Helsinki Commitee for Human Rights in the RS believes that education is a better deterrent than laws.

You cannot make the Bosnian people civilized just by
applying strict laws.

  ”When citizens of this country stop supporting the politicians who
spread the language of hatred, those politicians will disappear from
the political scene,”