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SARAJEVO, October 7 (FENA) - Minister of Human Rights and Refugees of BiH Semiha Borovac and UN Under-Secretary-General and Special Advisor of the Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide Adama Dieng held a working meeting today in Sarajevo to express common position that denial of crime, and especially of genocide, is unacceptable in civilized world.
“I am concerned that Bosnia and Herzegovina is weakening with increasingly controversial narratives about past, present and future. Such narratives, combined with the rhetoric of secession, make room for divisions to become the norm. However, during this mission, I plan to visit places and meet people in BiH who have decided to fight this climate of mistrust and fear. I hope that I will be able to listen and support citizens who have chosen to define a space of mutual respect and dignity for all, and who help create compassion and empathy in and between communities in BiH,” Dieng said.
Borovac said that Bosnia and Herzegovina's efforts to adopt strategic documents in the field of human rights were halted because it was allowed even for this area to be politicized unfortunately.
“This is especially concerning if one has in mind the attempts to revise history, which is evident in all spheres of public life. This is a serious threat to the future of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region. It is necessary to legally sanction denial of genocide and crimes against humanity, as well as hate speech, because by failing to sanction these phenomena they become a socially acceptable norm, and we must not allow this,” said Borovac.
She emphasized that respect for human rights and attitude towards victims is primarily a matter of humanity but also our own awareness and responsibility for our future and future of our children.
“We must not give up insisting on open and honest dialogue, confronting the truth, and being fully prepared to pay tribute and sympathy for victims who do not belong only to our ethnic group. It is road to reconciliation and rebuilding mutual trust and a precondition for lasting peace and stability of BiH and region,” said Borovac.
She emphasized that it is crucial to differentiate between those who deny crimes or glorify criminals as heroes and accept the fact that respect for any other victim cannot be expressed by negating or minimizing any other victim, the BiH Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees stated.
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