Institute for Research of Crimes Against Humanity studies atrocities in Gaza and BiH

According to the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, these acts have been identified as genocide, including the deliberate killing of group members, causing serious physical and mental harm, systematically destroying cultural, educational, and religious institutions, and imposing living conditions designed to bring about the group’s partial or total destruction, the Institute said.

The Institute highlighted that under the category of deliberately imposed harsh living conditions, the Commission examined the destruction of homes and land, denial of access to medical care, forced displacement and its effects, blocking humanitarian aid, electricity, water, and fuel, as well as reproductive violence affecting women’s health and nutrition, including measures aimed at preventing births, and the devastating impact of reduced healthcare and food on children.

The UN Commission of Inquiry found that all elements of genocide are present and confirmed that such crimes are ongoing in the Palestinian territories with clear intent to destroy the Palestinian people.

The Institute noted that many of its scholars and staff are survivors of aggression and genocide against Bosniaks. These personal experiences, combined with years of academic research, have given them a deep understanding of the mechanisms behind genocide and war crimes. This expertise allows the Institute to critically examine and document similar tragedies in other conflicts, including in the occupied Palestinian territories.

In this spirit, the Institute’s Council launched a scientific research project applying a comparative approach to studying war crimes in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Palestine, with a particular focus on rape, sexual violence, and their ideological foundations.

The project aims to advance knowledge on such crimes, expose the destructive ideologies that lead to them, present documented cases of sexual violence, and encourage further academic study and preventive measures against this form of atrocity, the statement concluded.