I never met Karadzic but know him so well.

SERBIAN MONSTROUMS KARADZIC AND MLADIC Report: Remembering the Day of the Srebrenica Genocide July 22, 2009 “One of the most important ways to remember the genocide in Srebrenica is to commemorate the atrocities every July 11th” - Mr. Samuel Harris, Holocaust survivor and president of Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center. Day of Remembrance of Srebrenica Genocide Bosnian American Library in Chicago, July 11th 2009 Author: Sanja Seferovic Drnovsek, Educating Against Prejudices, Bosnian American Library in Chicago The program Day of Remembrance of Srebrenica Genocide is given in memory of, and with deep respect to, the more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim (Bosniaks) men and boys, from 14 to 70 years old, who were killed by order of Bosnian Serb, General Ratko Mladic and the 25,000 women, children, and elderly who were deported from the city of Srebrenica. This was the most heinous war crime in Europe since the Second World War, and we wish to help create a thorough knowledge of what happened in Srebrenica, so it may be incorporated into our historical remembrance. In calling the public’s attention to the events of July 11, 1995 in Srebrenica, we can no longer passively accept that genocide is - in any way - humane! It is also a warning to future generations that this crime should never happen again to any group of people, anywhere or anytime. The possibility for greater understanding in Bosnia and Herzegovina and throughout the world depends upon our realization that truth and justice are the first steps towards reconciliation. In the video presentation of testimonies of Srebrenica genocide survivors, Zuhra Osmanovic, stated, “On July 11th I tried to go into a truck with my kids. However, when I was trying to cross the dividing line that the Dutch soldiers posted, one Serbian soldier came to me and took my son from my hands. He asked me how old was he. Mirnes said that he was 15 but I said 13. I lied because I wanted them to let him go. I told him that he was wounded and the soldier asked who hurt him. I was afraid and I said that I didn’t know. I was fighting to hold on to my son but obviously the soldier was stronger than me and took Mirnes from my hands and took him on the left side of dividing line and after that somewhere, I don’t know where…… At that same moment the Chetniks put Memlo Osmanovic, Hasan Halic and Orhan to the left side of the tracks. They didn’t care how old they were. Memlo was around 25, my son was only 14, Orhan was 14, and Hassan 50. They took all generations of men. That’s why we can never forget the genocide that the Serbs did, especially in Srebrenica. …….And again I would like to repeat that we need to write, talk, and broadcast on the radio, TV, and newspapers the events in Srebrenica….. So that it is not repeated and does not happen again.” Zuhra Osmanovic sent her powerful message to the audience, and the world. “And I still don’t know anything about my son. For Azem, my husband, they have already identified his bones. We had a funeral for him on July 11, 2006 . I had been hoping that he would come back but now I have no hope for him. …Now I’m living with my daughter in Chicago, Mersa. She’s married and has a beautiful child. My grandson’s name is Dino. In my Dino, my Sanja (interviewer), I see my Mirnes’ eyes. I look and look at Dino looking for Mirnes’ mouth, his eyes, his ears, but only his eyes are the same as Mirnes. I could cry and cry, but I still live in hope that I will find out news about my son whether he is alive or dead or if they can find his bones like other people from Srebrenica. And then he could rest in peace. There are many thousands and thousands of people from Srebrenica that are dead. He could rest in peace in the black soil.” Zehra Spiodic, maiden name Omerovic, also a Srebrenica genocide survivor, said “I would never forget my father Sulejman Omerovic. He had a nice face, black hair and blue eyes. He was a peaceful man. Chetnics took him with them on July 11 1995 when he was trying to go into a truck with his family. I have never seen him again since then. He was unarmed like all other men. United Nations Peace Keeping Troops and NATO took our weapons and the world promise to save us. It did not happened.10, 000 unarmed men were killed in Srebrenica “. “Srebrenica in America”, the exhibition prepared by Ismet Ramic and Sanja Seferovic Drnovsek complimented these testimonies.( Chronology of Srebrenica Genocide, Information about Genocides that took place in 20 the century including Darfur today, Zuhra and Zehra Stories with pictures of their families, Samuel Harris and My Mom, Letters to Senators , Petitions) A director of Holocaust Museum, our honored guest, Mr. Samuel Harris, talked about” The Power of Testimony”. I paraphrased a part of his speech notes. “In 1905 George Santayana wrote :’those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it.’ One of the most important ways to remember the genocide in Srebrenica is to commemorate the atrocities every July 11th . The reason I am here today is because I was asked to share my memories in Emin’s school of gifted students at Taft Public School. The sharing of my memories in Emin’s class compelled him to write a magnificent article for the newspapers. We do not have to worry about our future because we have Emin, such a bright young man. His mom Sanja and aunt Selena, who prepared this program of Day of Remembrance of Genocide in Srebrenica, and I are doing the same things- spreading the word about Holocaust and genocide. In Emin’s school I shared my memories as a child under Hitler in Poland to the students. Emin remembers when we discussed the ghettos, the starvation, the beatings and the deaths. I told his class how the Jews were rounded up, beaten or shot if they did not move fast enough. That line of thousands would proceed to the cattle cars waiting at the train station. I, at the age of about six was in that line. My father pushed me out and told me to run toward the pile of bricks nearby. My sister Sara was already there. Together we were hiding and watched the people march towards those cattle cars that carried them to the Treblinka gas chambers. That was the last time I saw my parents, 2 brothers, 2 sisters, many cousins and neighbors. ……… I wrote my book, Sammy, Child Survivor of the Holocaust, to share with the people what a bully like Hitler can do to human beings. He killed 6,000,000 Jews of which 1,500,000 were children. He killed many others as well. It was a Holocaust. Two weeks ago, Paul Rusesabagina came to visit the Holocaust museum in Skokie. Paul was the manager of Hotel Rwanda. He saved 1,268 people. He visited for a long time as he saw the atrocities of the Holocaust. The newspaper wrote about us the next day: “ Born, nearly 20 years apart and in different parts of the world, they bonded when they met. They felt connected having experienced what no other human being should experience. This experience left each of them with the urgent need to proclaim now and forever and to all who would listen….NEVER AGAIN.’ Today I am in this room with beautiful Bosnian and Herzegovinian people who have also experienced genocide in their country. We must say to the world - NEVER AGAIN. Bystanders must wake up and listen to the words of the German Pastor Martin Niemoeller quote: ‘First they came for communists And I did not speak out- Because I was not a Communist. Then they came for the Socialists And I did not speak out- Because I was not a Socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists And I did not speak out- Because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews and I did not speak out Because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me- And there was no one left to speak out for me. We must all speak out with our testimonies for they have the power to change or there will be no one left to speak out for us.’ “. With this powerful massage Samuel Harris finished his presentation. Jonathan Moore, a deputy head of Mission, US Embassy in Sarajevo, was another respectful guest at the Bosnian American Library. The library was completely full of Bosnian and American people who gave respect to the victims of Srebrenica genocide. He spoke about the importance of his new job which he would start in August 2009 and invited everyone to visit him in the American Embassy in Sarajevo. Muhammad Abdelrahman., a director of Darfur organization in Illinois, was again our guest speaker and he talked about a genocide that is taking place in Darfur, Sudan, today in front of our eyes. “The most powerful and emotional moments were,”said Selena Seferovic, a director of Bosnian American Library, “many people told me today, when they heard Mensud Basic, vocal, and Lincolnwood Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Phil Simons (American Music Festival) and their music and words from the poem God is One Sheidi, Dzemaludin Latic, arr. Breton/Nuhanovic/Simmons Dzemaludin Latic, arr. LLya Levenson.” They brought us very close to shehids, victims of Srebrenica Genocide. Many of us in the audience cried. Phil Simon and American Music Festival, Lincolnwood Chamber Orchestra were partners with Bosnian American Library in our mission and organization for this event. I wish you could hear their music while you are reading this poem! (English translation@2009 by Philip Simmons and Samir Hadzalic) Shehids, you Loved Ones, where are you now? Beside the fountain, lies knitted towel And carafe, from which we were created. Shehids, you Saints, where are you now? In dust, the trace of naked feet. Who prays now, on green carpets? Hey, you Saints, where are you now? Shehids, you of the Purest Scent, where are you now? Near the villages, are your castles all over Bosnia! Like the flowers in the garden, you are cheerful! Like a string of beads, flickering as stars! Shehids, like the Angels, where are you now? Like swallows, going south, you are cheerful. I am very proud to announce that each July 11th; Srebrenica genocide will be commemorated at the City of Chicago officially. At the City Council, on the 29th of July, the Aldermen Mary Ann Smith will present and sponsor the request of the citizens from Bosnian and Herzegovina who live in Chicago and who signed the petition on April 25 in the Bosnian American Library, which I initiated at the same event/Genocide Prevention . We would remember Srebrenica Genocide forever! Special thanks to Edin Seferovic who worked for the Aldermen and used his personal and professional influence on the city politicians and Haris Alibasic for sharing with me the language of Grand Rapids Resolution which passed this year in his city. The Video presentation of two testimonies is produced by Sanja and Emin Seferovic Drnovsek and special thanks to Ferid Sefer for his help in editing. Special thanks to Ismet Ramic for the cooperation on the exhibition , Samija Hardarevic Diab for wonderful Bosnian deserts, the Bosnian media that promoted this event: chicagoraja.net, bosniak.org, http://srebrenica-genocide.blogspot.com, bosnjaci.net, radio “Danas”, “Hajat” TV, bosnianlibrarychicago. com and to everyone who attended this important event. Pay Your Pledge to CNAB! Since 2000, CNAB has defended the interests of Bosnia-Herzegovina and Bosniaks in diaspora by ensuring that the relationship between the United States and Bosnia-Herzegovina remains strong. It is only through your support, and the support of members like you, that CNAB can remain effective and continue its important work. We sincerely thank you for your generosity. To support Congress of North American Bosniaks, click here. Interview with Zuhra Osmanović, Srebrenica Genocide survivor July 14, 2009 July 11, 2009- Remembering the Day of Srebrenica Genocide in Bosnian American Library in Chicago Interviewer: Sanja Seferovic Drnovsek, a Program Coordinator, Bosnian-American Library in Chicago, Educating Against Genocide Zuhra, could you tell us what’s happened to you and your family on July 11, 1995? When Srebrenica was occupied I was with my husband Azem my son Mirnes and my daughter Mersa in Srebrenica. My husband left through the woods with one group of people from Srebrenica. I was 3 days in Potocari captured with others from Srebrenica. On July 11th I tried to go into a truck with my kids however when I was trying to cross the colorful dividing line that the Dutch Soldiers posted, one Serbian soldier came to me and took my son from my hands. He asked me how old was he, Mirnes said he was 15 but I said 13, I lied because I wanted them to let him go. I told him that he was wounded and the soldier asked if they hurt him. I was afraid and I said I didn’t know. I was fighting to hold on to my son but obviously the soldier was stronger than me and took Mirnes from my hands and took him somewhere, I didn’t know where. After some time I got in the truck and they took us to Tuzla. Have you heard anything about your husband Azem and your son Mirnes since then? I’ve been counting the days, months, and years. I thought it would take 2 to 3 months maybe a year or 2, but now it’s been 14 years. And I still don’t know anything about my son. For Azem, they have already identified his bones. We had a funeral for him on July 11, 2006. I had been hoping that he would come back but now I have no hope for him. For my son I still live with hope that he’s alive and that he will come back to me, God willing. I have pictures of my Mirnes and my Azem. I talk to them and look at them very often. I cry and I share my happiness and my sadness. If I have any happiness in my heart anymore. I still hope that with God’s help one day I will hear from or find something out about Mirnes, good or bad but the truth. You have the pictures of your son with his friends. Do you know what’s happened to those boys who are the same age as your Mirnes? I have one picture with my son and his 2 friends from school, one of them is Nermin and the other one I forgot his name. I’m pretty sure that they did not survive. I also have the complete class picture of Mirnes’ class. The teacher was Serbian of course, that’s how it was at that time. I think that many of those kids did not survive but I know that Azem (boy in picture) did survive and I saw him in 2001. He was with me and Mirnes when we were captured in Potocari. I kept Mirnes close to me and didn’t let him go anywhere without me but as for his friend Azem his mom did not keep him close to her. Thank god Azem survived but as for my Mirnes who was close to me the Chetniks were stronger and took him from my hands. Mirnes was 14 and a half and now he would be 29. I would like to see his face, his height, and his health. I remember his blue eyes and his baby face although he was beginning to become a young man. He was just starting to grow. What is your message to the world regarding July 11, 2005 and Srebrenica Genocide? Regarding Srebrenica’s Genocide I believe that we should dedicate July 11th to the Victims of Srebrenica so that what happened will not be forgotten. If we don’t talk or write about it, it will simply be forgotten as if it never happened. I personally can never forget July 11th and the 11th day of every month I am reminded of something so horrible that should have never happened. You might not understand how I feel and I hope that you never will. My case and the many others in Bosnia and Herzegovina are similar to every city in Bosnia not just Srebrenica. You can only fully understand something if it has actually happened to you and I would not want that to happen to you. I lost my son and many other mothers lost their sons. Sons are children that are just born, 1 year, 20 years, 7 years, 25 years, or 50 years, they are all sons of their mothers. I remember a guy named Hassan Halic he was with my Mirnes when the Chetnik took Mirnes. His mother was around 70 years old and he was around 50. When they took Hassan, he told his mom, “Mom please help me!” I could never forget that. That man has his own family, own children, and a wife, and still asked his mom to protect him. I know a similar story about the Osmanovic family from my husband’s side, his cousin, Memlo asked a woman with a child and a bag to be his wife for 5 minutes. She looked at him puzzled and asked why? He answered, ‘because I need to cross the tracks. Give me your child.’ She agreed. She gave him the child and he held the child in his hands and put her bag on his back and wrapped his arm around her. A Chetnik just told him you go on the left side. “What about the baby?” he asked. The Chetnik answered, “Give it to the woman”. At that same moment the Chetniks put Memlo Osmanovic, Mirnes, Hassan Halic and Orhan to the left side of the tracks. They didn’t care how old they were. Memlo was around 25, my son was only 14, Orhan was 14, and Hassan 50. They took all generations of men. That’s why we can never forget the genocide that the Serbs did, especially in Srebrenica. And again I would like to repeat that we need to write, talk, and put it on the radio, TV, newspapers. Everywhere, everywhere, everywhere. So that it is not repeated and does not happen again. Could you tell us about your live today? What are your hopes? Now I’m living with my daughter in Chicago, Mersa. She’s married and has a beautiful child. My grandson’s name is Dino. In my Dino, my Sanja (interviewer), I see my Mirnes’ eyes. I look and look at Dino looking for Mirnes’ mouth, his eyes, his ears, but only his eyes are the same as Mirnes. I could cry and cry, but I still live in hope that I will find out news about my son whether he is alive or dead. If they can find his bones like other people from Srebrenica. There are many thousands and thousands of people from Srebrenica that are dead. And then he could rest in peace in the black soil with them. * Video Presentation in Bosnian language on www.bosnianlibrarychicago.com Dodik’s War Against Bosnia-Herzegovina July 4, 2009 Ivan Anic - Counter-measures taken by OHR officials against RS premier Dodik’s intelligence network in Brcko have revealed new dimensions of a long-standing plan to undermine B-H, according to an analysis in the independent Sarajevo weekly Dani. Following the counter-attack by OHR officials Valentin Inzko and Raffi Gregorian on RS premier Dodik’s para-state police and intelligence network, various details have emerged concerning its style, organisation and equipment, and about the names involved in this affair that has shaken both Bosnia and the international bodies responsible for its future. The role of the Brčko battlefield in the overall war that Dodik has unleashed against the international community, and that targets in particular Inzko’s deputy and the supervisor for Brčko, Raffi Gregorian, which had remained somewhat in the shadows, had now been made crystal clear. Reliable sources inform Dani that the District of Brčko is indeed no backwater, as confirmed by the supervisor’s decision to ban several protection agencies that form part of Dodik’s network, which up to now has enjoyed a monopoly. It is felt that the ‘deafening silence’ on Brčko represents a tactical retreat by Gregorian , given what is involved is a District rather dear to the American administration, it being a uniquely successful project within Dayton Bosnia. Gregorian was responsible for the appointment, four months ago following district elections, of Dodik’s SNSD tycoon Dragan Pajić as mayor of Brčko, supported by a controversial political coalition: SNDS (4 deputies), SDS (6), SDP (9) and minorities (2). This was a kind of down payment to Dodik in return for supporting constitutional amendments on the status of Brčko. War and peace between Dodik and Gregorian According to Dragan Čavić of the SDS, the deal was made well in advance of the elections, and in the expectation that the SNDS would do much better. Despite its indifferent results, Gregorian was stuck with the deal and even had to swallow SDS’s involvement in the government of the District, upon which Pajić had insisted. The supervisor also could not wholly ignore the SDP’s strikingly good performance, which among other things supplied a Croat, a Roma and an Albanian deputy. The end result was thus the above-mentioned all-party coalition, which is not working and is likely to be of brief duration. As for the constitutional amendment, based on the Dayton compromise, its purpose was to permit the District to appear before the Bosnian constitutional court in the event that its interests are felt to be under threat. The initiative to proceed with its adoption demanded the support of District assembly deputies from all the three major national groups, which - given the RS government’s influence on all Serb political parties in Brčko, and its entrenched quest to add Brčko to the territory of RS - meant that their voting would be determined by entity cooperation. Making the deal on Brčko at the height of their mutual war, both the supervisor and the RS premier considered their short- and long-term interests. Gregorian needed some success, if only for career reasons, especially in a District where he has practically unlimited powers but also responsibility, even though the amendment could not be implemented in reality. More long term, he placed his hopes in a renewal of the international community’s support for Bosnia that would weaken Dodik’s power and, more generally, lead to greater control over the RS leadership’s behaviour. This would of itself make the District’s position more secure, so that the risk of entrusting its governance to a man close to the destructive Dodik could be presented as a good tactical manoeuvre. The best ‘protected’ town in the world Dodik for his part calculated that acceptance of a hollow amendment could be publicly defended by acceleration of the hated OHR’s departure, while simultaneous installation of his mayor in Brčko would provide him with a good starting position at this strategic place for what, as is now becoming increasingly clear, is a long-planned project of the final destruction of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Given all this, Gregorian’s ban on the numerous protection agencies in Brčko is not a mere sideshow in some wire-tapping affair, but probably the most significant move in an operation designed to prevent the hitherto most serious threat to Bosnia’s constitutional order, sovereignty and territorial integrity. For the purpose of such a large number of security agents, equipped with such arms, vehicles and materiel, in such a small yet strategically vital territory, which divides the two parts of RS and keeps the Federation away from the state border, cannot simply be to tap into the communications of the supervisor and the local leaders in order to gain compromising material. The details now coming out show that we are dealing with a well-organised and politically self-contained para-police structure focussed exclusively on the District. Among the banned security agencies is Alpha from Zvornik, whose true owners include the Zvornik municipal mayor Zoran Stefanović from the SNDS. The ban applies also to Wolf from Rogatica, whose director, Radomir Jovanović, is also a Dodik cadre. Elite Security too, the headquarters of which is significantly in Laktaši, is obliged to withdraw its considerable forces from Brčko. Most solidly established in the District is the agency called Centurion from Bijeljina, whose office is in the Sloboprom business park and whose owners are Dodik’s great sponsor Slobodan Ćurčić and the SNDS deputy in the Brčko assembly Slobodanka Ćurčić. This was the centre for listening in on OHR officials and local politicians. It is interesting too that Centurian this last spring received a credit of 451,591 KM from the Investment and Development Bank of RS. As is to be expected, Gregorian was not happy with it becoming public knowledge that this intelligence service included also the long-standing OHR spokesperson in Brčko, Suzana Bursać. Her involvement is well-attested, but there are serious indications that she was not the only person from OHR to take part in this destructive mission. This inevitably brings into general disrepute the whole of Brčko OHR cadre policy, all the more so in that American supervisors there have always been generals without an army of their own; for whereas they came and went, the others remained behind. Highs and lows of the Brčko OHR In this context, the interaction between a great number of affairs and dismissals associated with the OHR becomes open to question, for there is a possibility that supervisors were subject to manipulation. There was the controversial dismissal of five District government officials (the case of Janković, Dedeić and others) for alleged membership of an urban mafia in the spring of 2007. Gregorian then made great play with his decree, presenting it as a significant victory against corruption. But investigators never came up with any proof: the investigation was halted, albeit remaining formally open. Given the open secret in Brčko that some OHR officials were rewarded for this with apartments and other material goods by interested power brokers, and the indications that it in fact involved not the removal of the town mafia, but rather of those who had actually been trying to unmask the real town mafia (actively defending the business interests of the priest Slavko Maksimović, accused of paedophilia), it is likely that the final outcome of this case will be a great disgrace for both the OHR and the Brčko legal system.. Gregorian’s latest decisive measures have re-established the authority of the Brčko supervisor. He proved ready to destroy the nefarious plans for destabilisation of this area, and because of its strategic importance of Bosnia-Herzegovina as a whole. It has also been shown that the other side did not have any compromising material to use against him. It is also encouraging that, by recently forcing the political parties to sign a coalition platform with precisely specified obligations for all officials and with criteria for their implementation, he sent a practical message that he will not tolerate any continuation of the obstruction of the District’s development, and especially not the import of putschist and adventurist scenarios from abroad. Translated from Dani (Sarajevo), 26 June 2009 CNAB Demands Removal of ICTY Judge Christoph Flügge July 8, 2009 (PDF version) H.E. Judge Patrick Robinson, President International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia P.O. Box 13888 2501 EW The Hague, The Netherlands H.E. Judge Carmel Agius Presiding Judge in a Specially Appointed Chamber P.O. Box 13888 2501 EW The Hague, The Netherlands The Congress of North American Bosniaks, an umbrella organization representing the interests of 350,000 American and Canadian Bosniaks, is shocked and confounded with the statements made by Judge Christoph Flügge, of the Hague Tribunal, to the German weekly magazine “Der Spiegel” in which he openly questions the Srebrenica genocide. According to the article, Judge Flügge states that “the term genocide to define these crimes is unnecessary” instead preferring to refer to it as “mass murder”. He claims that there is no reason to differentiate between “a group that is murdered for their nationality, religion, ethnicity, or race, as is regulated by the Hague Statute” and a group that “happens to be gathered at a specific location”. CNAB requests a complete retraction of the statement made by Judge Flügge given the fact that the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) has already confirmed, in several cases including the 2007 ruling against Serbia and Montenegro, the classification of the murder of more than 8,000 Bosniaks in Srebrenica as genocide. This fact has also been recognized by organizations and governments across the world, including the U.S Congress in resolutions 199 and 134 on genocide in Bosnia-Herzegovina. It is evident that by denying the previous ruling of the ICTY regarding the Srebrenica Genocide, Judge Flügge is unable to show impartiality to the case and is in violation of The Hague’s Rule 15(A): “A Judge may not sit on a trial or appeal in any case in which the Judge has a personal interest or concerning which the Judge has or has had any association which might affect his or her impartiality. The Judge shall in any such circumstance withdraw, and the President shall assign another Judge to the case.” For these reasons, CNAB requests that the Court removes Judge Flügge from his role in the proceedings against Radovan Karadzic, or in any case dealing specifically with charges of genocide. Finally, CNAB requests a full apology to all the victims of the genocide who have been hurt by this statement, at a time when they are getting ready to commemorate the 14th anniversary of the genocide and bury more victims who are still being identified from the many mass graves. The statements made by Judge Flügge amount to genocide denial and can have dangerous consequences on the Court’s ability to justly prosecute war crimes in Bosnia-Herzegovina including the very important case against the accused war criminal Radovan Karadzic. It is crucial that the seriousness of this matter is fully addressed by the Court. Respectfully, Haris Alibasic, President CNAB Board of Directors DNA Results Support Est. of 8,100 Victims of Srebrenica Genocide July 10, 2009 DNA Results of the International Commission on Missing Persons Reveal the Identity of 6,186 Srebrenica Victims Through the use of DNA identity testing, the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) has revealed the identity of 6,186 persons missing from the July 1995 fall of Srebrenica, by analyzing DNA profiles extracted from bone samples of exhumed mortal remains and matching them to the DNA profiles obtained from blood samples donated by relatives of the missing.The overall high matching rate between DNA extracted from these bone and blood samples leads ICMP to support an estimate of close to 8,100 individuals missing from the fall of Srebrenica. The ICMP has made to date a total of 12,520 accurate, DNA-led identifications of individuals from all of Bosnia-Herzegovina since ICMP’s DNA system went online in 2001. In the case of BiH, ICMP has DNA profiles from more than 69,051 blood samples collected from relatives and 25,033 bone samples from human remains on its database. The number of subsequent identifications made is much lower than this figure as more than one family member’s blood sample is needed for a positive match, and often several bone samples from a victim’s remains are needed for a positive DNA match. Yet despite ICMP’s world-class forensic system, and despite having built the forensic facilities at Lukavac and at the Podrinje Identification Project in Tuzla specifically for the identification of victims of Srebrenica, their identification remains an extremely difficult, complex and time-consuming process. To expedite this process, more information is needed on the locations of burial and mass grave sites. “The fact that ICMP has made nearly 6,200 identifications of Srebrenica victims is a remarkable success, and something that many people had said from the beginning would be impossible to accomplish,” said ICMP’s Director-General Ms. Kathryne Bomberger. “However, it is a success of science that has sprung out of immense human tragedy: more than 520 bodies are being buried at Potocari this week, in addition to the 3,127 already buried here. Many families of Srebrenica victims are still waiting for information on their missing relatives. Many families who have identified their relatives are waiting for more remains to be exhumed from secondary mass grave sites before they bury their loved ones. So what we desperately need is for individuals with more information about the location of grave and burial sites to come forward.” In many cases the perpetrators of Srebrenica removed mortal remains from one ‘primary’ mass grave and hid them in multiple sites in an attempt to conceal evidence of war crimes, thus leaving a trail of disarticulated skeletal remains, whereby body-parts of the same person can be found in different sites. In one case, ICMP identified a man missing from the fall of Srebrenica whose remains were found in four different mass graves two of which were 20 km from the other two locations. The introduction of DNA by the ICMP as the basis for identifying large numbers of missing persons from the 1990’s conflicts in the Western Balkans enabled accurate identifications of persons that would never otherwise have been identified. The first DNA match, for a 15 year-old boy from Srebrenica, was made on November 16, 2001. Source: ICMP CNAB Invitation for Srebrenica Genocide Remembrance Day May 30, 2009 (Download in PDF Format) CNAB INVITATION FOR COMMEMORATION OF THE GENOCIDE IN SREBRENICA (BOSNIA) ON JULY 11, 2009 AND BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA TRIBUTE WEEK We invite all pro-Bosnian individuals and organizations to support the Resolution commemorating Bosnia and Herzegovina and the genocide that happen in the Bosnian town of Srebrenica. On January 15, 2009, the European Parliament adopted a resolution commemorating the victims and declaring July 11 as Srebrenica Remembrance Day throughout European Union. The U.S. Senate and House of Representatives adopted resolutions in 2005 commemorating the victims of genocide perpetrated in Bosnia and expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the massacre at Srebrenica in July 1995. Both resolutions acknowledged aggression and ethnic cleansing perpetrated by Bosnian Serb forces during the aggression on Bosnia. Bothe Resolutions recognized that the policies of aggression and ethnic cleansing as implemented by Serb forces in Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1992 to 1995 meet the terms defining the crime of genocide in Article 2 of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. In 2008, Bosnia Herzegovina Tribute Week resolution was passed in the State of Michigan. We must work on promoting similar resolution further to facilitate better understanding of Bosnian history and the aggression against Bosnia. Please share the news and the idea about this Resolution with your friends, work colleagues, and relatives and ask for their participation in commemorating this in their own way: ask them to wear yellow ribbons, attend exhibits about the genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina, wearing pins or something similar. PROJECT IS TO DECLARE A BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA WEEK IN YOUR COMMUNITIES AND TO COMMEMORATE THE GENOCIDE IN SREBRENICA. Remembering the Day of the Srebrenica Genocide July 9, 2009 Presented by the Bosnian American Library in Chicago and American Music Festivals with Lincolnwood Chamber Orchestra Saturday, July 11, 2-4. 00 PM Conrad Sulzer Branch, Chicago Public Library 4455 N. Lincoln Avenue Esteemed speakers to include: Selena Seferovic, Director, Bosnian Book Club, Opening- Closing Remarks (2 min) Sanja Seferovic Drnovsek, Educating against genocide, Purpose of the Event ( 3 min) Jonathan Moore, Deputy Head of Mission, US Embassy in Sarajevo, starting August 2009. (3-5 min) Samuel R. Harris, Holocaust Museum in Skokie Director, The Power of Testimonies, introduced by Emin Seferovic Drnovsek, 7 grade gifted program, Taft School ( 5 min) Philip Simmons, Founder and Music director American Music Festival: Personal remarks on Holocaust (5 min) Concert: Performing works of Bach, Hovahness, Klein, and traditional Bosnian music with Mensud Basic, vocals (40 min) Video Testimonies of Zuhra Osmanovic and Zehra Spiodic, survivors of the Srebrenica Genocide (10 min) The exhibition “Srebrenica in America” by Ismet Ramic and Sanja Seferovic Drnovsek Reception after the program. Free admission. For more information call: 773 381-1942 www.bosnianlibrarychicago.com