Brammertz for N1: Individuals were prosecuted, not states or peoples

“It’s definitely an important step. Unfortunately, there is still far too much politics around this issue, and I had hoped there would be much less hesitation. Yesterday, we witnessed an important event in New York, and the Resolution is just as significant,” Brammertz said.

Addressing the narrative that entire peoples are being judged rather than individuals, Brammertz was clear: “Individuals are prosecuted — that’s individual responsibility. We never try an entire people or a state. That’s how it has worked for 17 years. There used to be less denial and less glorification. In the meantime, people like (Radovan) Karadzic and (Ratko) Mladic were arrested and convicted — these are final judgments by the Tribunal in The Hague and the International Court of Justice. These courts have the ultimate jurisdiction to decide what is genocide and what is not. The debate about whether Srebrenica was genocide must end with these judgments.”

He added that it is a historical fact, supported by evidence, that the capitals and governments of Zagreb and Belgrade played significant roles during the conflicts. “People like (Jovica) Stanisic and (Franko) Simatovic were convicted for their direct participation in crimes here,” Brammertz emphasized.

Brammertz also recalled how Radovan Karadzic, during his first statement before the court, claimed he was not speaking on his own behalf but on behalf of the Serb people. “Karadzic, when addressing the court for the first time, said he wasn’t speaking for himself but for the Serbs — they try to create the impression they are acting on behalf of society. That’s how they attempt to justify the mass atrocities they committed,” he said.

He stressed that the role of prosecutors is to secure justice for all victims. “The reality is that all sides committed war crimes, and as prosecutors, we must ensure that every victim gets justice. This applies to members of all three communities, but that’s no excuse for claiming that some groups have faced fewer convictions. That’s not a justification. We want to see Serbia take more initiative — there are still hundreds of war criminals living in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina who are unlikely to be prosecuted,” Brammertz noted.

He also stated that genocide denial is unacceptable.

“Genocide denial is unacceptable, and I believe that laws should be enforced to sanction such behavior,” Brammertz said, adding: “A few years ago, I thought that if there was one issue on which all countries could agree, it would be the search for the missing. But I see now that this too has become a political issue. For every victim, someone knows where their remains are — from soldiers to bus drivers. The glorification of war criminals plays a negative role because it discourages people from speaking out,” he explained.

“We have always maintained that what happened in Srebrenica was the culmination of a genocidal intent and ethnic cleansing that existed since 1992,” Brammertz said.

He concluded by stressing that anyone who wants to know what happened during the wars of the 1990s can see it in Srebrenica. “Thousands of children in Sarajevo were killed by snipers, tens of thousands died during ethnic cleansing, and of course, there is Srebrenica. Anyone who wants to know what happened can find the answers there,” Brammertz said.