Herdenking '10 jaar Srebrenica' aanleiding tot nationalistische oprispingen
Zondag 10 juli wordt in de Servische hoofdstad Belgrado een herdenking gehouden voor het bloedbad van Srebrenica, tien jaar geleden. Maar velen in Servië hebben het nog altijd erg moeilijk met dat onverwerkte oorlogsverleden. Women in Black-Belgrado hebben nooit opgehouden met actievoeren tegen de politiek van straffeloosheid. Zij blijven de Servische oorlogsmisdadigers aanklagen. Geen duurzame vrede zonder gerechtigheid. Dat is duidelijk niet naar de zin van rechts-nationalistische groepen. De bedreigingen tegen Women in Black nemen de laatste tijd weer toe. Maar ook uit regeringskringen komen soms vreemde signalen die wijzen op een beleid dat het verleden liever wil toedekken dan uitspitten. De herdenking van '10 jaar Srebrenica' maakt duidelijk dat duurzame vrede op de Balkan nog niet voor morgen is.
PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT Threats against Women in Black For the past months, and in particular during the past week, following the disclosure of the full range of crimes committed by the regime of Slobodan Milosevic during the wars of the 1990s against the civil population in neighboring countries and in Serbia, and with the upcoming anniversary of the genocide in Srebrenica, various forms of pressure are growing against the civil society in our country. Of course, Women in Black are not exempt from this pressure, whose persistent opposition to criminal politics and its protagonists many cannot forget. These pressures take many forms: • Tens of anonymous threats towards Women in Black, addressed to us daily by various extremist organizations and groups, mainly of neo-Nazi orientation, upon announcement of the public marking of the anniversary of genocide in Srebrenica (the action “Let us Not Forget” – Genocide in Srebrenica, July 10th, 2005 from 19.30 – 20.30h on Republic Square, Belgrade) • Intensive control of financial records (which have been shown to be completely regular) • A tragic-comedic situation, which is reflected in the fact that the organs of the Ministry of Interior Affairs have so seriously taken the charge against our organization submitted to the cabinet of the Minister of Internal Affairs by a known offender and disturber of public order and peace from a town in the interior of Serbia, that our coordinator, Stasa Zajovic, recently nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize (1000 women for the Nobel Peace Prize 2005) was recently called for questioning before the city department of the interior, in order to confirm whether or not Women in Black is involved in the organization of prostitution. This would all be amusing, if in question wasn’t such an important institution as is the police, who, with the lack of will to persecute war crimes suspects or to prevent a neo-Nazi concert in Novi Sad, are instead investigating the basis of the most absurd of charges. • These are only some of the forms of the permanent attempt to criminalize Women in Black. The growth of nervousness among worried patriots and their followers is understandable, facing the growing consciousness of the population of our country that the time has come when we must clearly and unambiguously repudiate support for the criminals among us. However, the passivity of some segments of the authorities is neither understandable nor acceptable, in relation to the seriousness of the possible consequences of such nervousness, and particularly worrying are the indications that some individuals or even entire institutions are tacitly or openly cooperating with these extremists. July 6, 2005 Women in Black, Belgrade
Zondag 10 juli wordt in de Servische hoofdstad Belgrado een herdenking gehouden voor het bloedbad van Srebrenica, tien jaar geleden. Maar velen in Servië hebben het nog altijd erg moeilijk met dat onverwerkte oorlogsverleden. Women in Black-Belgrado hebben nooit opgehouden met actievoeren tegen de politiek van straffeloosheid. Zij blijven de Servische oorlogsmisdadigers aanklagen. Geen duurzame vrede zonder gerechtigheid. Dat is duidelijk niet naar de zin van rechts-nationalistische groepen. De bedreigingen tegen Women in Black nemen de laatste tijd weer toe. Maar ook uit regeringskringen komen soms vreemde signalen die wijzen op een beleid dat het verleden liever wil toedekken dan uitspitten. De herdenking van '10 jaar Srebrenica' maakt duidelijk dat duurzame vrede op de Balkan nog niet voor morgen is.
PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT Threats against Women in Black For the past months, and in particular during the past week, following the disclosure of the full range of crimes committed by the regime of Slobodan Milosevic during the wars of the 1990s against the civil population in neighboring countries and in Serbia, and with the upcoming anniversary of the genocide in Srebrenica, various forms of pressure are growing against the civil society in our country. Of course, Women in Black are not exempt from this pressure, whose persistent opposition to criminal politics and its protagonists many cannot forget. These pressures take many forms: • Tens of anonymous threats towards Women in Black, addressed to us daily by various extremist organizations and groups, mainly of neo-Nazi orientation, upon announcement of the public marking of the anniversary of genocide in Srebrenica (the action “Let us Not Forget” – Genocide in Srebrenica, July 10th, 2005 from 19.30 – 20.30h on Republic Square, Belgrade) • Intensive control of financial records (which have been shown to be completely regular) • A tragic-comedic situation, which is reflected in the fact that the organs of the Ministry of Interior Affairs have so seriously taken the charge against our organization submitted to the cabinet of the Minister of Internal Affairs by a known offender and disturber of public order and peace from a town in the interior of Serbia, that our coordinator, Stasa Zajovic, recently nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize (1000 women for the Nobel Peace Prize 2005) was recently called for questioning before the city department of the interior, in order to confirm whether or not Women in Black is involved in the organization of prostitution. This would all be amusing, if in question wasn’t such an important institution as is the police, who, with the lack of will to persecute war crimes suspects or to prevent a neo-Nazi concert in Novi Sad, are instead investigating the basis of the most absurd of charges. • These are only some of the forms of the permanent attempt to criminalize Women in Black. The growth of nervousness among worried patriots and their followers is understandable, facing the growing consciousness of the population of our country that the time has come when we must clearly and unambiguously repudiate support for the criminals among us. However, the passivity of some segments of the authorities is neither understandable nor acceptable, in relation to the seriousness of the possible consequences of such nervousness, and particularly worrying are the indications that some individuals or even entire institutions are tacitly or openly cooperating with these extremists. July 6, 2005 Women in Black, Belgrade