David Pettigrew, a professor of philosophy at Southern Connecticut State University, is currently visiting Bosnia and Herzegovina. Over the next few days, he will be visiting numerous sites of atrocities across the country. Our team spoke with him in Gorazde.

Pettigrew stated that his visit is part of his efforts to bear witness to the truth about the genocide and aggression of the 1990s and to find ways to honor the memory of the victims.

“Here, I visited the memorial to the murdered children of Gorazde, but I also have a personal reason because a friend of mine is a war child from Gorazde, and I thought it was important to come here with her, Vildana Bijedic,” Pettigrew said.

Speaking about the current situation in the country, particularly after the adoption of the UN Resolution on Genocide, Pettigrew highlighted that the reactions of political leaders in the Republika Srpska and Serbia are exaggerated and concerning.

“I believe this requires a serious response from the international community,” he added.

Professor Pettigrew also attended the commemoration of July 11 at the UN headquarters, where the first official commemoration of the Srebrenica genocide in the UN General Assembly took place.

“I had never been there before, and it was very emotional,” Pettigrew said, adding that the statements made by Almasa Salihović, Ambassador Lagumdzija, the Sarajevo Mufti, and the UN representative for genocide prevention were very important.

Later that day, Pettigrew attended the second annual day of remembrance for the Srebrenica genocide in Connecticut, where a law was passed designating July 22 as a day of remembrance for the Bosnian genocide. “Around 800 people attended, and we raised the Srebrenica flower flag at the city hall,” Pettigrew highlighted.

He emphasized the importance of the UN Resolution on the Srebrenica genocide in terms of transitional justice and remembrance, noting that part of his job as an educator is to raise awareness of the truth and ensure that the victims are not forgotten.

Pettigrew also commented on the issue of genocide denial, stating that it minimizes the crime and sends a message to the victims that the crime can be repeated.

“The prosecution should, at the very least, condemn and prosecute such actions, but there seems to be no will to do so,” Pettigrew said, emphasizing the importance of building memorials at sites of mass killings.

Regarding the U.S. sanctions on Milorad Dodik and his associates, Pettigrew said that the sanctions have long-term effects and that U.S. Ambassador Murphy is strongly advocating for U.S. policy in this regard. “So, he is a problem that the international community must address, and whether the sanctions will ‘bring him down,’ I'm not sure,” Pettigrew concluded.