The Belgrade Centre for Human Rights is shocked by the announcement of the panel discussion the student organisation Nomokanon is organising at the Belgrade University Law Faculty on 19 April. The posters pasted across Belgrade advertise the panel under the following headlines »Truth about Srebrenica on the Occasion of the Tenth Anniversary of the Liberation of Srebrenica«! It is scandalous and impermissible to organise a gathering celebrating the anniversary of the horrendous crime committed in Srebrenica in this country, especially in an academic institution the Law Faculty should be. The fact that nearly eight thousand people were killed in Srebrenica can no longer be contested. It was proven also at a trial of those accused of this war crime. The Republika Srpska authorities came to the identical conclusion in their report on the crime.Why then mark the anniversary of crime and ignominy? Which »national interest« was behind this panel? Has anyone in Germany, apart from Fascist and neo-Fascist organisations, even contemplated celebrating the anniversaries of crimes committed in World War II?The Belgrade Centre for Human Rights urges the Law Faculty management and teachers, the Belgrade University and competent bodies to react in keeping with their legal and ethical obligations.
Such gatherings are unfortunately being held almost at a regular basis at a number of state colleges. The state bodies’ tolerance of such events instills in the public the impression that they encourage an atmosphere in which it is possible and even desirable to relativise crimes and glorify criminals.
The Belgrade Centre for Human Rights is shocked by the announcement of the panel discussion the student organisation Nomokanon is organising at the Belgrade University Law Faculty on 19 April. The posters pasted across Belgrade advertise the panel under the following headlines »Truth about Srebrenica on the Occasion of the Tenth Anniversary of the Liberation of Srebrenica«! It is scandalous and impermissible to organise a gathering celebrating the anniversary of the horrendous crime committed in Srebrenica in this country, especially in an academic institution the Law Faculty should be. The fact that nearly eight thousand people were killed in Srebrenica can no longer be contested. It was proven also at a trial of those accused of this war crime. The Republika Srpska authorities came to the identical conclusion in their report on the crime.
Why then mark the anniversary of crime and ignominy? Which »national interest« was behind this panel? Has anyone in Germany, apart from Fascist and neo-Fascist organisations, even contemplated celebrating the anniversaries of crimes committed in World War II?The Belgrade Centre for Human Rights urges the Law Faculty management and teachers, the Belgrade University and competent bodies to react in keeping with their legal and ethical obligations.
Such gatherings are unfortunately being held almost at a regular basis at a number of state colleges. The state bodies’ tolerance of such events instills in the public the impression that they encourage an atmosphere in which it is possible and even desirable to relativise crimes and glorify criminals.
