Victims' Associations Bid Farewell to Harmon: He Left an Indelible Mark in Proving Genocide and Other Crimes in BiH

(Patria) - On the occasion of the death of Marko Harmon, former ICTY prosecutor, victims' associations have extended condolences to Harmon's family and representatives of the Residual Mechanism for Criminal Courts.

"Mark Harmon left an indelible mark in proving the committed genocide and other crimes in BiH. He led nine cases that resulted in convictions or guilty pleas.

He drafted the first genocide indictment against Ratko Mladić and Radovan Karadžić. He was the prosecutor who first proved the genocide in Srebrenica, thereby laying the foundation for other proceedings against those responsible for Srebrenica. As a prosecutor, he was the first to prove an international conflict – the aggression of the Republic of Croatia, in the case against an HVO commander, and laid the foundation for proving the Joint Criminal Enterprise in BiH in the verdict against Krajišnik.

He sent Momčilo Perišić to 27 years in prison, after which UN bureaucracy ruthlessly sent him into retirement. Harmon obtained many guilty pleas, without which the truth would not have been complete. He was our friend and a prosecutor with a soul and great respect for the victims.

He never gave up and performed his job calmly and professionally. We trusted him, and most importantly, he believed not only in us but also in justice, and he believed that we would achieve it.

By nature quiet, modest, and unobtrusive, like most prosecutors and staff of the Hague Tribunal, he always found time for us, even after retirement. That is why we will always affirm Harmon, as well as the vast array of honest and capable prosecutors, judges, and investigators of the Hague Tribunal, and cherish their memory. We will leave this as a legacy to our children and future generations.

Individuals like Marko Harmon, who wrote the history, but also the future of BiH, deserve respect and the highest recognition. We hope that BiH will also remember our heroes from the Hague Tribunal, integrate their work into the social life of BiH, and recognize the heroes who sent Karadžić, Mladić, and others to life sentences and long-term prison sentences. Thank you, Mark," the statement from the Association of Victims and Witnesses of Genocide, the Movement of Mothers of the Srebrenica Enclave, Women of Srebrenica, and Women of Podrinje reads.