White Ribbons as a Warning: Canada Remembers Prijedor

(Patria) - Under the auspices of the Institute for Research of Genocide Canada (IGK) and organized by BIC Hamilton, the Central Canadian Academy was held on the occasion of the International Day of White Ribbons, with the aim of preserving the culture of remembrance of the victims of crimes committed in Prijedor in 1992.

The academy brought together numerous members of the Bosniak community from Ontario, including children, parents, representatives of religious communities and organizations such as BIZ Gazi Husrev-beg Toronto, BIC Toronto and BIC Hamilton. The program was educational and memorial in nature.

The director of IGK, Emir Ramić, in his address emphasized the importance of continuously marking the Day of White Ribbons as a symbolic fight against forgetting, denial of crimes and human rights violations.

“Marking the Day of White Ribbons is an act of remembrance and a call for justice, truth, and accountability. It is a reminder that the crimes committed in Prijedor, including the Omarska, Keraterm and Trnopolje camps, are not forgotten and that their perpetrators must be brought to justice,” said Ramić.

He also thanked the Parliament of Canada for supporting the resolution on white ribbons and announced an initiative towards the UN General Assembly for the adoption of an international resolution. He also thanked the city of Hamilton for its continuous support of the culture of remembrance.

A particularly emotional moment was marked by the performance of Bosnian language student Hana Hubijer, who read the names of the murdered children in Prijedor. Students from the Bosnian school from Toronto also performed a fitting program.

Speaking about the suffering in Prijedor, Eno Čaušević, a witness and activist from Prijedor, reminded of the scale of the crimes, including ethnocide, culturalide, ecocide and urbicide.

At the end of the program, Mensud Dević invited those present to the central commemoration on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the genocide in Srebrenica, which will be held on July 5 in Windsor, in front of the monument to the victims of genocide.

The academy concluded with the recitation of Fatiha for all victims, led by the imam of BIC Hamilton, Ismail ef. Fetić.

The central message of the gathering was clear:

“We do not forget Prijedor. Forgetting is complicity in the crime. The fight for truth and justice is the foundation of our existence. By wearing a white ribbon, we express solidarity with the victims and send a message to the world about the importance of the culture of remembrance.”

The academy once again confirmed that the fight for truth, justice, and recognition of crimes in Prijedor remains a permanent obligation not only for the Bosniak community but also for the entire civilized world.