Professor Pettigrew: It is too late for any dialogue when RS has almost seceded from BiH, the Srebrenica Memorial Center must be helped

(Patria) - Prof. Dr. David Pettigrew, professor of philosophy and Holocaust and genocide studies at Southern Connecticut State University and a member of the Advisory Board of the Genocide Studies Program at Yale University, was one of the speakers at today's session of Krug 99 on the topic "Republika Srpska and the threat to transitional justice, the rule of law and
human rights."

"The United States caused great concern when it recently voted together with the Russian Federation and North Korea against a UN General Assembly resolution condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Such a vote effectively supported the geopolitical goals of the Russian Federation, including its goals in the Balkans.

The dramatic shift in the positions of the United States, its break with European partners, and its failure to condemn Russian aggression in Ukraine have contributed to anxiety due to increasing threats and provocations coming from Republika Srpska and the
so-called Serbian World. This concern has sounded the alarm for accelerating Bosnia's path towards NATO and the EU.

Additional concern arose when President Trump issued an executive order on sanctions against the International Criminal Court, which had the effect of undermining the rule of law at the global level. This expression of contempt for the rule of law has clearly encouraged Milorad Dodik to, following the recent verdict against him, create laws that reject all laws passed based on the decisions of Christian Schmidt, as well as all laws and decisions made by the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council, the Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA).

The High Representative and the PIC immediately condemned such activities that undermine the constitutional and legal order of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Interestingly, the new US Secretary of State Marco Rubio criticized Mr. Dodik and encouraged 'political leaders in Bosnia and Herzegovina to engage in constructive and responsible dialogue.' However, these condemnations rang hollow and had no real consequences," states Professor Pettigrew.

He says that by adopting its subversive laws, the National Assembly of Republika Srpska effectively excluded itself from the rule of law of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

"In other words, it seems too late for constructive dialogue when Republika Srpska has almost seceded from Bosnia and Herzegovina, creating a constitutional crisis. During closed consultations of the UN Security Council, the representative of the United States condemned Dodik's destabilizing actions, but at the same time expressed support for the concept of three constituent peoples, effectively ignoring the rulings of the European Court of Human Rights calling for democratic reforms in the cases of Sejdić-Finci, Zornić, and Kovačević.

Support for the concept of constituent peoples caters to the ethno-territorial demands of Bosnian Serbs and Croats and represents a betrayal of citizens' efforts to achieve democratic reforms.

Republika Srpska consistently violates international norms related to transitional justice, memorialization, and the rule of law without consequences. Genocide and other war crimes are denied, and war criminals are glorified. The mural of Ratko Mladić in Kalinovik has not been removed, despite appeals from survivors to the OHR. Survivors have failed to place memorials at crime sites in the Kravica warehouse, the Pilica Cultural Center, the Branjevo farm, or the Petkovci dam. All these are sites of crimes that have been declared part of the Srebrenica genocide.

The team of the Srebrenica Memorial Center that attempted to film in the Pilica Cultural Center was denied access by the authorities of Republika Srpska in an apparent attempt to
suppress the truth. Following the recently adopted anti-state laws in Republika Srpska, the Srebrenica Memorial Center suspended its work for security reasons.

There is no doubt that, due to the inaction of the Office of the High Representative and the support he received from Vladimir Putin, Mr. Dodik feels encouraged to continue his provocative rhetoric and destabilizing activities without consequences. The Kremlin's news agency reported that Putin expressed his solidarity with Mr. Dodik in a recent telephone conversation with Serbian President Vučić. The current crisis is another result of the international community's continued failure to take the initiative to support transitional justice, to place memorials, to prosecute genocide denial and the glorification of war criminals. Dodik has profited from this culture of inaction that mocks the rule of law and human rights.

Therefore, it is crucial to accelerate Bosnia's membership in the EU and NATO. Also, it is essential that EUFOR forces be drastically increased and strategically deployed in Bosnia to prevent further escalation of the crisis. EUFOR must be deployed to protect Bosniaks in Republika Srpska and secure the Srebrenica Memorial Center so that its team can continue its important work. The Memorial Center has a leading role in the world in raising awareness of the truth about the Srebrenica genocide and resisting denial through the development of educational resources, including survivor testimonies, curatorial exhibitions, conferences, studies, publications, and international contacts. Their work seeks to develop a culture of remembrance that will prevent
the repetition of crimes. The Memorial Center's mission to honor the victims must be defended," states this great friend of BiH.

The secessionist efforts of Milorad Dodik must be decisively blocked, Professor Pettigrew emphasizes.

"The United States must also support the decisions that the High Representative must make in the area of transitional justice to enable the placement of memorials at crime sites that have been prohibited until now, including the Pilica Cultural Center, where crimes assessed as part of the Srebrenica genocide were committed. This is a matter of justice of profound significance as we approach the 2025
anniversary of the genocide. Finally, in all these ways, the United States must contribute to peace and stability, the restoration of the rule of law, including the prosecution of genocide denial and the glorification of war criminals, and must publicly support democratic reforms and human rights as defined by the rulings of the European Court of Human Rights," he concluded.