Around 2 AM this morning the police apprehended nine Youth Initiative for Human Rights’ (YIHR) activists, who in the night between March 31st and April 1st wrote in red spray paint on the pavement of the plateau in front of the Serbian Parliament the following message: “That tough foreign word genocide”. Some 30 activists intended the message for Serbian MPs, apropos the Declaration condemning the crime in Srebrenica, which MPs passed on March 30, 2010. Activists were released from Stari Grad police station five hours later. Sanitation workers removed the message from the pavement around 3.15 AM.
The Declaration passed by the Serbian Parliament stops short of mentioning that genocide over Bosniaks had been committed in Srebrenica. Even though the very act of passing the resolution represents a step forward compared to the atmosphere that permeated the Serbian society five years ago, by omitting the word genocide a chance was missed for that step to be more courageous and responsible. Serbian MPs have relativized this crime, thus showing that they find short term political goals to be more important than the future of Serbia and the Western Balkans. Hate speech and relativization of crimes committed in the name of Serbia dominated the parliamentary debate.
With this act YIHR activists wish to remind the public that the issue of facing the past is among the essential ones in the process of transition and building a democratic society. Symbolic gestures of apology or acknowledgement must not be done as acts of concession to the European Union or with a view to obtaining financial aid. They cannot be a subject to political trade-off and calculations based on public opinion polls. Owning up to crimes, not coupled by relativization or mitigation, needs to be Serbia’s official policy, primarily for the sake of the victims, as well as values society should be built upon.
“By writing the message on the pavement in front of the Serbian Parliament, the Youth Initiative for Human Rights’ activists are sending a clear message that there exist new generations who empathize with victims and advocate better future of the region. The message thereby sent is far more important compared to the pavement being defaced or potential penalties imposed. By defacing the pavement we were saving Serbia’s face”, said the Youth Initiative for Human Rights’ Director Maja Stojanovic upon her release from custody.
