All three sides of a regime of evil and crime

By: Sead OMERAGIC

Owing to the verdict for Ratko Mladic for genocide, the story about the guilt of all three sides has lost its argument. Media no longer have reason to spin headlines in that direction. There are all three sides of one side. By the verdict for Ratko Mladic, all three sides of one crime have been rounded up for the political, military and police authorities of the Republika Srpska.

Political highest rank of the Republika Srpska has been punished, from Biljana Plavsic and Momcilo Krajisnik to Radovan Karadzic. Its military highest rank has been punished through all the officers of the Headquarters of the Army of the RS, including the latest verdict for their commander Ratko Mladic.

Finally, their police high authorities were convicted long time ago: Mico Stanisic and Stojan Zupljanin. Therefore, the crimes can no longer be diluted by stories about 'all three sides'. Three sides in one crime.

Just like Mladic's, all the verdicts have been directed towards BiH. They constitute the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina and they have to become the future of its joint life. So that evil does not happen again to anyone.

The story about crimes on 'all three sides' has been regularly uttered as the condition for reconciliation. That would have been a reconciliation with amnesia for the victims. Now, we have almost all verdicts of The Hague Tribunal against a regime of evil and crime. Any denial of those verdicts would mean that those who do so are deliberately playing the fools. Those verdicts will become court practice and a part of the international law.

Politics will have to implement the consequences of this verdict. Because, one thing is what is the part of the international peace agreements in Dayton and Paris, and another thing is the international law which, after the final verdicts, will have to re-examine its original decisions.

Hiding Karadzic and Mladic from justice was an attempt to reverse the guilt. Constant denial of the heaviest of crimes of genocide and crimes against humanity was an attempt at the victims to give upon seeking the truth. The denial lasted almost one quarter of a century, yet it is not going to work. If denial of the crimes of genocide persists, some new court council, in the appeals for Karadzic and Mladic, accept the disputed count for genocide in 6 municipalities: Foca, Kotor Varos, Vlasenica, Kljuc, Sanki Most and Prijedor, and thus seal one insane construction of public lie.   

The verdict for Mladic has opened up the question of ethics in people. Those who still deny and dismiss The Hague verdicts, have equally ferociously denied horrid crimes committed over Bosniaks and Croats in BiH. Rejecting the truth does not help.

Completion of The Hague rulings will round up one horrifying truth about the attempt to destroy Bosnia and Herzegovina and exterminate one of its autochthon peoples – Bosniaks. The verdicts also relates to the regional relations, which will never be the same again. Simply put, the relations of Serbia (and Croatia) towards BiH have to be meticulously re-examined.

The verdicts for the key war figures will also enter the international law and the history. Therefore, there are no reasons for denial of the historical facts. Revisionism of history is punishable in all civilized countries, particularly in the Western Europe. After all those verdicts, conclusive with the one for Ratko Mladic, denying genocide will be no longer deemed possible, without adequate sanction by court.

Politicians such as Milorad Dodik would have to consider that; he, for example, first acknowledged and then denied the crime of genocide over Bosniaks. Soon, such statements will be subject to punishment. All those who dare to openly deny genocide should take note of that. Is it the time to do away with the criminals and take a step forward towards a brand new future? For the first time in the history, that does not depend on the victims.