NGOs condemn arrest of Srebrenica survivor

A number of NGOs have deplored the arrest of Midhat Salihovic, one of the male survivors of the Srebrenica massacre, accused by the RS courts of war crimes. According to the NGOs, Salihovic, who lives in Sweden, had traveled to Potocari to attend the funeral of his father and brother, both victims of the genocide, and was arrested on Saturday on a warrant issued by the Bijelina District Court, where he is suspected of war crimes against the Srebrenica Serbs. NGOs condemn arrest of Srebrenica survivor A joint statement from Women in Black (Belgrade), JUKOM, the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia and the Youth Initiative for Human Rights expresses “anger“ over “this cynical and criminal move by the Bijelina court.“ The NGOs focused their anger on the Republic of Srpska (RS) authorities, headed by Prime Minister Milorad Dodik, and the Bijelina courts, who, “instead of going after criminals, are persecuting the survivors of the genocide.“ Neither do the Serbian authorities nor President Boris Tadic escape the NGOs’ wrath, who, they say, “continue to work towards a relativization of the criminal past and display full understanding for Milorad Dodik’s criminal policy.“ The NGOs also criticize the international community for “tolerating Milorad Dodik’s secessionist and, essentially, belligerent policy,“ which “does nothing to bring its powers in Bosnia-Herzegovina to bear on eliminating sources of future wars and future genocides.“ In the statement, the NGOs call on the Serbian authorities “to at least distance themselves from the aggressive and dangerous policy“ of the RS, and urge the international community to work energetically to prevent attempts to equate crimes and victims, and to put a stop to the dangerous policies pursued by Dodik and the remaining RS political forces. “On behalf of all the citizens of Serbia who have not lost their human dignity, we once again voice our solidarity with the families of the victims of the genocide in Srebrenica, as well as our resolve never to forget the crimes perpetrated in our name,“ the statement stresses. The Bosnian prosecution announced today that Salihovic, whom the RS authorities arrested two days ago on suspicion of crimes committed against Serbs in Srebrenica, had not been detained on a Bosnian warrant, nor had that institution issued a warrant for his arrest. The Bosnian prosecution added that members of the Bosnian border police had arrested Salihovic at the Orasje border crossing on Saturday, on a warrant issued by the Bijelina District Court.

NGOs condemn arrest of Srebrenica survivor

A joint statement from Women in Black (Belgrade), JUKOM, the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia and the Youth Initiative for Human Rights expresses “anger“ over “this cynical and criminal move by the Bijelina court.“

The NGOs focused their anger on the Republic of Srpska (RS) authorities, headed by Prime Minister Milorad Dodik, and the Bijelina courts, who, “instead of going after criminals, are persecuting the survivors of the genocide.“

Neither do the Serbian authorities nor President Boris Tadić escape the NGOs’ wrath, who, they say, “continue to work towards a relativization of the criminal past and display full understanding for Milorad Dodik’s criminal policy.“

The NGOs also criticize the international community for “tolerating Milorad Dodik’s secessionist and, essentially, belligerent policy,“ which “does nothing to bring its powers in Bosnia-Herzegovina to bear on eliminating sources of future wars and future genocides.“

In the statement, the NGOs call on the Serbian authorities “to at least distance themselves from the aggressive and dangerous policy“ of the RS, and urge the international community to work energetically to prevent attempts to equate crimes and victims, and to put a stop to the dangerous policies pursued by Dodik and the remaining RS political forces.

“On behalf of all the citizens of Serbia who have not lost their human dignity, we once again voice our solidarity with the families of the victims of the genocide in Srebrenica, as well as our resolve never to forget the crimes perpetrated in our name,“ the statement stresses.

The Bosnian prosecution announced today that Salihović, whom the RS authorities arrested two days ago on suspicion of crimes committed against Serbs in Srebrenica, had not been detained on a Bosnian warrant, nor had that institution issued a warrant for his arrest.

The Bosnian prosecution added that members of the Bosnian border police had arrested Salihović at the Orašje border crossing on Saturday, on a warrant issued by the Bijelina District Court.