Having spent a lifetime as a war correspondent in divided communities, N1’s Editorial Board Director, Brent Sadler, said on Monday he knows well reconciliation is difficult, but people who have barely survived their war injuries and managed to pick up their lives are a beacon of hope.

Sadler, who was a wartime correspondent in Mostar for CNN during the 1990’s, spoke as he received the ‘Mostar Peace Connection’ award for his contributions to peace and the establishment of trust and cooperation among peoples.  

In his speech about reconciliation and hope, he singled out the story of a ten-year-old girl from Mostar who was critically wounded and who he reported on, Selma Handzar.

In 1993, he sent the images of her and her wounded brother Mirza, who was eight years old at the time, out to the world.  

Both children survived, but Selma lost an arm. Now she lives in the US, has a successful career, and is a mother of two children.  

“Selma is a remarkable war survivor who carries her physical burden with real courage, real emotion, and real feelings. So her appeal for peace and reconciliation should be all the more difficult for people to ignore,” Sadler said in his speech.  

“So in closing, thank you very much Selma Handzar, now Selma Mercedes, because it was your story from 25 years ago that brought me here tonight,” he said.  

“I’m delighted, honoured, and so very pleased to accept this distinguished and highly valued award,” he concluded.