Firstly, its proceedings may shed some light on the role of Serbia and its military in the Srebrenica massacre of July 1995. At the time of the massacre, Serbia was in a federal union with Montenegro, and the joint state went by the name of the ‘Federal Republic of Yugoslavia’ (Savezna Republika Jugoslavija – SRJ). Its army, the ‘Army of Yugoslavia’, provided logistical support for the Bosnian Serb army – the ‘Army of the Serb Republic’ – and its Croatian Serb counterpart, though these were formally independent of it. The minutes of the SRJ’s Supreme Defence Council (which comprised the presidents of ‘Yugoslavia’, Serbia and Montenegro) were recently used by the prosecution of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY)  in its case against former Yugoslav army Chief of Staff Momcilo Perisic. They reveal that Perisic regularly appealed to the Supreme Defence Council to provide such logistical support to the Bosnian Serb military, and that these appeals continued up until the eve of the Srebrenica massacre. Hopefully, the trial of Mladic, alongside that of Perisic, will provide more information on the role of the Army of Yugoslavia during the Srebrenica massacre. Indeed, it is likely that Mladic’s ability to provide such information was one of the reasons that Serbia’s military shielded him from arrest for so long. This is, however, an optimistic hope, as Mladic is more likely to continue denying responsibility for the massacre and to shield his former protectors than he is to spill the beans.

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http://greatersurbiton.wordpress.com/2011/06/03/the-trial-of-ratko-mladic-will-not-mean-that-justice-has-been-served/

By: M. Sci Marjan Hajnal

I have been following with great dismay the intensification of attacks on the Institute for Research of Genocide of Canada {IRGC} and the Congress of North American Bosniaks {CNAB} through various channels including the internet and telephone threats towards members of these two organizations.

Along with diplomatic pressure aimed at redrawing the borders of internationally recognized Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, a multiethnic democratic state of equal constituent ethnic groups and other minorities, a synchronized and organized attack campaign is being carried out by a fascist and neo-Nazi lobby that operate in the territory of Canada and the United States.

The aim of these retrograde post-war forces is to jeopardize the existence of both IRGC and CNAB, through various media smear campaigns and even directly threatening their leadership and members. The attacks were particularly intensified after the government of Canada’s decision to forbid entry to genocide denier Srdja Trifkovic who was scheduled to give a lecture to students of Serbian nationality in Vancouver at the University of British Columbia. It is regrettable that these young people consciously or unconsciously follow a policy that initially indoctrinated their grandparents, parents, and now their own generation, guiding them to a dismissive attitude toward the genocide committed against Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnian Muslims, and all other ethnic groups who consider Bosnia and Herzegovina an irreplaceable and indivisible motherland, with its unique history, cultural tradition, languages, and its sovereign place on the geopolitical map of Europe and the world.

Only the enemies of humanity and civilization can deny that Bosnia was on many different occasions exposed to genocidal conquest and devastation. On all these occasions the enemies attacked the territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina and its sovereign people. Bosnian rich history is full of examples of how its brave people, regardless of religious orientation, bravely resisted all invaders, and that the never did any attempt of assimilation have permanent success.

General symbol and character of all these conquests is genocide.

According to the definition of genocide registered in 1948 at the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, this uncivilized act means any deliberate, systematic violent action aimed at destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, religious, or national group, with the intention to kill, persecute, dislocate, or steal their movable and immovable property. This definition includes the terror and deprivation of liberty, torture of prisoners, torture and abuse of the weak and defenseless people.

The war against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the period 1992 – 1995, and particularly against the Bosnian Muslims, officially known as Bosniaks, was conducted as a classic genocidal war. The city of Sarajevo was subjected to genocidal blockade, siege, constant artillery and sniper fire from the breakaway parts of the Yugoslav National Army (JNA) joined by Chetnik (Serb ultranationalist) paramilitary formations that did not care that the city was also inhabited by a significant number of Serb people. All citizens of Sarajevo were abandoned hostages, victims of a pathological obsession to kill utilizing all irrational forms of destruction. It was the same case with all other cities such as Visegrad, Foca, Kljuc, Bihac, Bijeljina, Banja Luka, Prijedor, and Srebrenica. Croatia joined in the destruction of Bosnia as a hostile party interested in the forced division of the state along ethnic lines, as it aspired for centuries before to detach a part of BiH territory. Independent State of Croatia (NDH), a puppet Nazi state, proved its genocidal brutality during the Second World War. After the cease-fire during the epoch of socialism, irredentist ambitions of “Herceg-Bosna” and “Republika Srpska” escalated to the level of the mass pogroms. No reasonable person can deny that their war machine functioned as a genocidal system

It is therefore of paramount importance, for the purpose of defense of truth, morality, justice, positive law and the overall achievements of civilization, that IRGC and CNAB are protected, and the United States and Canada prosecutes to the fullest extent of the law, all perpetrators who violently threaten and intimidate the members of both organizations. Furthermore, this critical moment is an opportunity to coordinate efforts with other countries to start forming similar institutes who will sanction all forms of genocidal actions and to initiate the arrest of the perpetrators, regardless of where they are or who they are. There are more than 20,000 such individuals who are free to roam and incite genocide.

I welcome the decision of the Government of Canada to allow the establishment and operation of IRGC, as well as the decision to indiscriminately refuse entrance and residence to all those who generate, propagate and spread national, religious and racial intolerance and hatred.

As people devoted to studying the phenomenon of humanity and the sources and causes of inhumanity, I invite all humane people to join the defense of the truth about Bosnia. In the name of all the victims of war in the world, it is the duty of every individual to choose only the voice of their conscience. In particular, I call deluded members of religious communities, political and national associations, to resist manipulation, warmongering aspirations and to abandon allegiances to the sick self-proclaimed national leaders. These are not true leaders, but charismatic destructionists who, during their personal megalomaniac regressions, are guiding the entire society to the brink of collapse. It is necessary to identify them everywhere as opponents of humanity and the enemies of their people, and all others nations. The courts of history will sooner or later reveal them as the pillars of shame and join them to those who have already been identified as members of the legion of terror and violent death of innocent people. Genocide must be actively confronted.

Philosopher, author, humanist
pre-war resident of Sarajevo
M.Sci. Marjan Hajnal
Israel

http://www.bosniak.org/appeal-to-the-defenders-of-the-truth-about-the-genocide-in-bosnia-and-herzegovina/

Sir Malcolm Rifkind, as Defence Secretary until July 1995 and thereafter as Foreign Secretary, was one of the architects of Britain’s disastrous policy toward the war in Bosnia. For over three years, on the basis of this policy, Britain obstructed all meaningful intervention to halt Serbian aggression and genocide in Bosnia, pressurised the Bosnian government to accept the dismemberment of its country, and – most notoriously – mercilessly upheld a UN arms embargo that seriously restricted Bosnia’s ability to defend itself. It was, in effect, an intervention on the side of the aggressor and against the victim. As a direct result of that policy, Bosnia remains a mess to this day.

Yet Sir Malcolm has had time to reconsider. Monday’s edition of The Times published a powerful piece by him calling for intervention in support of the rebels in Libya, in which he argues the following:

‘First and most important should be an open and urgent supply of the necessary weapons to the insurgents so that they can fight Gaddafi on equal terms. The UN has imposed an arms embargo and some have suggested that this makes illegal any supply of weapons to either side in Libya. The UN Resolution, however, refers to a ban on arms supply to the Libyan “Jamahiriya”, which is Gaddafi’s invented name for the state he controls. It need not prevent supplies to those trying to bring him down. Otherwise, we will repeat the mistake of the Bosnian war – when the UN embargo had much less impact on the Bosnian Serbs who were, already, heavily armed. Having been Defence Secretary at that time I have, in retrospect, felt that that was the most serious mistake made by the UN.’ [emphasis added]

Indeed, there had likewise been no legal obligation on the part of UN member states to enforce the arms embargo against Bosnia, since UN Security Council Resolution 713 had been imposed on the state of Yugoslavia, not on the state of Bosnia-Hercegovina. Those enforcing the embargo against Bosnia did so because they wanted to, not because they were legally obliged to. So it is with the Libyan rebels today.

As Jesus said, joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. Former US president Bill Clinton has similarly admitted his error in failing to intervene to stop the genocide in Rwanda: ‘I feel terrible about it because I think we could have sent 5,000, 10,000 troops there and saved a couple hundred thousand lives. I think we could have saved about half of them. But I’ll always regret that Rwandan thing. I will always feel terrible about it.’

One wonders whether Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton will one day regret the shameful policy they are pursuing toward Libya today.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Srebrenica_Children_Massacre

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Attractions in 2010

These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.

Mass rape of Bosnian Muslim women November 2006

Map of the Serbian concentration camps for Muslims and Croats in Bosnia May 2008

Bosnian war casualties, death toll, figures, research, documents, August 2007
1 comment

The Breakdown of Communism: Collapse and War in Yugoslavia April 2008
1 comment

How Balkan wars started explanation history timeline (Focus Kosovo) November 2006

preko War in Bosnia Video footage: siege of Mostar, genocide in Srebrenica and Prijedor,Serbian death camps,Trnovo execution,rape,two hours from London.

preko Serb war criminals list political leaders of “republic of srpska” and other criminals.

preko Map of Serb held concentration camps in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

18. November 1991. The extreme elements of the HDZBiH, led by Mate Boban and Dario Kordić later convicted by ICTY of war crimes, proclaimed the existence of the Croatian Community of Herzeg-Bosnia, as a separate “political, cultural, economic and territorial whole,” with Croat Defence Council (HVO) as its military part on the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Because of ethnic cleansing of non-Croat population and crimes against humanity as well as war crimes committed by the Croatian authorities on Bosniak civilians, HDZ had much of influence in municipalities claimed by Herzeg-Bosnia. The Bosnian government did not recognize it. The Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina declared Herzeg-Bosnia illegal, first on September 14, 1992 and again on January 20, 1994.

31. December 1991. President Franjo Tuđman of the Republic of Croatia in the interview for newspaper ‘Slobodna Dalmacije’ concludes the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina can be avoided only if there would be and agreement in which Serbia and Croatia would gain parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Bosniaks, by Tuđmans reasoning would get smaller part of central Bosnia and Herzegovina. Tuđman in that interview has characterized Bosnia and Herzegovina as colonial creation.

08. April 1992. HVO units in Mostar even though they were well armed did not react on the Serbian attacks on the City of Mostar.

24. April 1992. So called the Croatian Community of Herzeg-Bosnia reacted on the decision made by the Presidency of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina to unite all of the military forces opposing the Serb aggression under one joint command of Territorial Defense of Bosnia and Herzegovina, by refusing to put HVO under its joint command. Those sort of political decisions made by leadership of so called Croatian Community of Herzeg-Bosnia was not accepted by all HVO units especially those in the north and north-eastern part of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

08. May 1992. Serb forces consisting of tank and infantry units are successfully attacking and capturing left bank of Mostar. The Mostar battalion of Bosnian Army did not have any ant-tank weapons which they can use to stop tanks T-84 belonging to the Yugoslav People Army (Serbs). In that battle the Mostar battalion suffers heavy losses and was forced onto the right bank of Mostar.

10. May 1992. HVO Busovača municipally headquarters issued the order to put Busovača under total blockade from all directions and to make connections with Serb army in Kaonik so they can peacefully evacuate the Yugoslav Peoples Army barracks. HVO Busovača municipally headquarters issued ultimatum to the Bosnian Army (Armija Republike Bosne i Hercegovine) to surrender its weapons and be placed under the total command of HVO. The order was signed by second in command of HVO Dario Kordić and the commander of the municipally headquarters Busovača Ivo Brnada. Dario Kordić takes the leadership of HDZ after the death of Mate Boban, and in February 2001 ICTY in the Hague has handed down to him 25 years of imprisonment for the crimes committed on the Bosnian Muslim population of central Bosnia.

09. June 1992. Blaž Kraljević was killed by members of HVO. Blaž Kraljević was a Croat paramilitary leader during the first few months of the Serb Aggression on Bosnia who commanded the HOS. When the war began Kraljević began to position his group as the main Croat militia in Bosnia. Unlike the other Croat militia, the HVO (Hrvatsko Vijeće Obrane-Croatian Defence Council, he opposed the division of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the creation of an ethnically cleansed Greater Croatia.

14. June 1992. Joint military operation between the Bosnian Army Mostar battalion and HVO has forced Serb forces to retreat back towards Nevesinje and freed the left bank of Mostar.

19. June 1992. HVO made a decision to leave its positions on the left bank of Mostar and to pull out all of its anti-tank weapons and artillery peaces. Because of that decision the Bosnian Army was fighting Serb forces on its own.

20. August 1992. Bosnian Army (Armija Republike Bosne i Hercegovine) from Igman, Hrasnice and Sokolović Kolonije have began attacking Serb positions on Ilidža, Stupska petlja and Nedžarići, with the intention to break the blockade of Sarajevo. On the Ilidžia from the Serb lines were broken, but the Bosnian Army (Armija Republike Bosne i Hercegovine) did not connect with the Bosnian Army troops in the city. HVO Kiseljak stopped the Bosnian Army units from Visoko to cross the territory under HVO control.

01. October 1992. Bosnian Army (Armija Republike Bosne i Hercegovine) starts the offensive on the Brčko front against Serb forces and manages to break through and create corridor which was on the smallest position only 4 km wide. It was planned that Croatian Army (HV Hrvatska Vojska) from the left side of the river Sava with 37 tanks give support to Bosnian Army (Armija Republike Bosne i Hercegovine), but that did not happen. Soldiers of the Bosnian Army (Armija Republike Bosne i Hercegovine), had created a corridor near village of Gorice and managed to break through on to a right bank of river Sava, and after 48 hours of waiting had to withdrew.

05. October 1992. Mladić meeting with the delegations from Croatia and Herceg-Bosna in Pećuj. Bruno Stojić and Slobodan Praljak – attended the meeting together with Jadranko Prlić. During the meeting Praljak said, ‘The goal is the Banovina of 1939; if not, we’ll continue the war’. An agreement on cease-fire, exchange of prisoners and repairs to the hydroelectric power plant in Jajce was reached at the meeting.

06. October 1992. Another meeting between Mladić and Slobodan Praljak took place in Njivice; general Milivoj Petković, attended a meeting as well. Praljak told Mladić, ‘We are making good headway in our effort to convince Alija to divide Bosnia and Herzegovina’.

12. November 1992. In Grude a meeting of presidents of Crisis Management Committee of Hervcegovačka and Travnik region communities took place. This meetings agenda was to join Herzeg-Bosna to Croatia. So to achieve this goal two regional communities have formulated all legal and political acts, including proclamation of the Croat Banate in Bosnia. One other conclusion of this meeting was a military preparation for conflicts with “all those who are going to try to stop creation of free Croat state”. The chairperson of this meeting was mate Boban.

15. November 1992. In the spirit of decisions of the Hervcegovačka and Travnička regional community agreement HVO (Croatian Defence Council) with the support of Croatian Army create a total blockade of the positions controlled by Bosnian Army (Armija Republike Bosne i Hercegovine). This blockade lasted till March 1994. During the blockade all of the attempts to re supply Bosnian Army (Armija Republike Bosne i Hercegovine) with weapons, ammunition and equipment on fronts against Serb forces was blocked by HVO and Croatian Army.

14. April 1993. HVO troops with direct military support and help of Croatian Army went on all out offensive against the Bosnian Army (Armija Republike Bosne i Hercegovine) in Herzegovina and central Bosnia. Before that the Bosniak members of HVO and the smaller more isolated units of Bosnian Army (Armija Republike Bosne i Hercegovine) were disarmed. HVO attacks and occupies Prozor. The fiercest fights take place in Gornji Vakuf, Fojnica and Mostar (west side of Mostar which was occupied by HVO which was declared Croatian city and a capital of the so called Croatian Community of Herzeg-Bosnia).

16. April 1993. In village Ahmići, central Bosnia, HVO troops have rounded up and killed 120 Bosniak civilians.

09. May 1993. HVO conducts strong attacks on to east side of Mostar (part of the city under the control of Bosnian Army). Bosnian Army troops found them selves surrounded on a territory of only few square kilometers. Heavy infantry fights are taking place on the west side of Mostar in Šantića Street which is the front line between HVO and Bosnian Army. HVO starts to set up concentration camps for Bosniaks mainly civilians. These HVO concentration camps included Heliodrom in Mostaru, Dretelj, Gabelu and many others.

12. June 1993. HVO Kiseljak and the Serb forces from Ilidža in village Grahovica (between Kiseljak and Ilidža) kill 37 Bosniak civilians.

01. July 1993. 111. brigade of HVO from Žepče attacks Bosnian Army troops in Novi Šeher.

08. July 1993. Meeting between Slobodan Milošević, Radovan Karadžić and Ratko Mladić took place. Radovan Karadžić ordered general Ratko Mladić, ‘Help the Croats in order to force the Muslims to accept the partition of Bosnia and Herzegovina’. Mladić left Belgrade the same day and went to Njivice, where he met with Petković. The two made deals on the military cooperation between the VRS and the HVO, sale of weapons and equipment and ‘renting’ artillery pieces which then fired on the BH Army positions north of Mostar.

01. November 1993. Old Bridge in Mostar was destroyed by the HVO Croatian Defence Council. After the war Arif Pašalić who was the commander of the 4th Corps of Bosnian Army said “With the destruction of Old Bridge Croats have pissed all over their thousand year old tradition and culture”.

23. February 1994. The Croat-Bosniak war officially ended when the Commander of HVO, general Ante Roso and commander of Bosnian Army, general Rasim Delić, signed a ceasefire agreement in Zagreb. In March 1994 a peace agreement mediated by the USA between the warring Croats (represented by Republic of Croatia) and Bosnia and Herzegovina was signed in Washington and Vienna which is known as the Washington Agreement. Under the agreement, the combined territory held by the Croat and Bosnian government forces was divided into ten autonomous cantons, establishing the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

http://www.BosniaFacts.info/