The Archives of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina has on Thursday awarded the 'Women in Black' association from Belgrade with the 'Charter of Kulin Ban' award for their courage and high morality in their fight against chauvinism and nationalist hatred.

“This award is very important because it is given to people and organisations outside of Bosnia. We are not appreciated in our own country for what we do due to the current regime, so this is very important for us,” the head of the association, Stasa Zajovic, told N1 in a Friday interview.

The Belgrade-based non-governmental organization is made up of a few dozen women, who have since the 1990s been dressing in black regularly and silently standing on the streets while holding banners to remind people of war-time atrocities in the former Yugoslavia and of that Serbia's role in them.

Over the decades, they were spat at, beaten, mocked and cursed but have never given up.

“The common element in all societies is the production of fear and of a negative atmosphere, the creation of enemies. I thought that the time in which we thought of each other as enemies will pass. There is a big disconnect between what was promised and what is in reality,” Zajovic said.

“Glorification of war criminals continues and takes over all parts of the society. This makes forming a different moral framework more difficult,” she said, adding that “as soon as you have obedient subjects, you can manipulate them as much as you want to”.

“Those who are not obedient are exposed to various attacks,” she said.