The Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) has appealed to Valentin Inzko, the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, to quickly pass the planned law against genocide denial and glorification of war criminals. The appeal, which is also addressed to other political leaders and to the international community, is supported by Prof. Christian Schwarz-Schilling, the Heinrich Böll Foundation, several Bosnian victims' associations, and other institutions and organizations from Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the appeal, the 53 states of the Peace Implementation Council and its Steering Board are asked to support the law.

"For the survivors and relatives of the victims, it is intolerable that the genocide crimes that took place in Srebrenica, Prijedor, and other places in Bosnia and Herzegovina, are still often denied. This is also happening on the part of the highest state authorities – which is a heavy burden for the country and its people. Thus, a law could help to stabilize the country and to ensure that the coming generations will have a future there," stated Jasna Causevic, STP expert on genocide prevention and the Responsibility to Protect. "However, the Serbian and Croatian parties have been blocking the project in the Bosnian parliament for years. This will not change in the future." According to Causevic, Inzko will thus have to use his Bonn powers to pass the law – and the international community should support him in this.

With the Dayton Peace Agreement, which was signed on December 14, 1995, the Serb warmongers were given almost half of Bosnia's territory, and these "ethnically cleansed" territories were henceforth called Republika Srpska. "Here, convicted war criminals such as Radovan Karadži? and Ratko Mladi? are openly worshipped. Thus, we can be quite sure that the Serbian side would never agree to a law against genocide denial," Causevic added, emphasizing that the current situation does not allow for a coming to terms with the past or for reconciliation. Further, genocide denial is an obstacle on Bosnia's path to membership in the European Union and NATO.

Among the signatories of the appeal are the Heinrich Böll Foundation, the associations Women of Srebrenica, Mothers of Srebrenica, Forgotten Children of War, the Memorial and Cemetery for the Victims of the Srebrenica Genocide in Poto?ari, the Justice for Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) Foundation, the Council of the Congress of Bosniak Intellectuals, the Croat National Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the founder of the Serb Civic Council Prof. Dr. Mirko Pejanovi?.

The full text of the appeal can be  download here (in English) or here (in Bosnian).

At the end of November, the STP published a memorandum on the history of the Dayton Agreement, its shortcomings and consequences. The memorandum can be download here.