February 19 2011
The promotion of the book “Crimes over the children of Sarajevo during the siege” was held on 17th of February 2011, in European Dome in Zagreb, with the presence of numerous visitors. The book was authored by Prof. Dr. Smail Čekić, Prof. Dr. Muhamed Šestanović, Merisa Karović and Zilha Mastalić-Košuta.
Following persons spoke during the promotion: Stjepan Mesić, former President of the Republic of Croatia; Prof. Dr. Vesna Pusić, Parliament member of the Republic of Croatia; University Professor, Dr. Ismet Dizdarević, Psychologist and one of the book reviewers; Blanka Šegović - El Khalifa, President of the Children’s Rights Association and Ajša Pekez, mother of one of the killed children. The promotion was moderated by Prof. Dr. Smail Čekić, Head of the Institute for the Research of Crimes against Humanity and International Law, University of Sarajevo, which published this book.
Along with numerous visitors, the promotion was also attended by several ambassadors, who are accredited with their families in the Republic of Croatia, certain number of prominent public and cultural servants from Zagreb, the delegation from the Association of parents whose children were killed headed by Fikret Grabovica, as well as by the group of Albanians who live in Zagreb. On behalf of the President of the Republic of Croatia, Mrs. Zrinka Vrabec- Mojzeš, his advisor, attended the promotion. Stjepan Mesić, Prof. Dr. Vesna Pusić and Ajša Pekez spoke affirmatively and especially inspired about the book.
Stjepan Mesić called this book a “monument for all children killed during the siege of Sarajevo”, emphasizing that, among others, this book is “mostly needed to those who are pretending not to know. In front of us is a bare, authentic history appearing in its entire horror”. Therefore he recommended, first of all to the politicians, “to read at least a part of this book every day before they go to sleep, so they will perhaps climb down from the height of the quasi historical myths to the ground which will maybe make them stop admiring their own picture in the mirror and start thinking about those who actually depend on them”.
At the beginning of her speech, Prof. Dr. Vesna Pusić acknowledged a great recognition to the authors of this book for the conception and the concept of the scientific approach, as well as for the valid, coherent, critical and responsible operationalization of the methodological approach to the scientific research and for the efficient choice and knowingly and responsible application of the scientific knowledge method and the research method. This is also important because, according to Prof. Dr. Vesna Pusić, it represents extremely delicate topic which, except the scientific-intellectual, also involves great emotional effort, whereby the authors succeeded to reach important conclusions through the scientific research, which are presented in the extensive study about the crimes over the children of Sarajevo during the siege.
Prof. dr. Ismet Dizdarević¸ emphasized, among others, that after such crimes, it should also be spoken about the reconciliation, whereby these crimes should not be forgotten. “We have to think about the catharsis, not only of those who committed that crime, because genocide is never an individual matter. Someone had to support the genocide”, Professor Dizdarević emphasized.
Specially touching speeches were held by Blanka Šegović - El Khalifa and Ajša Pekez. While Ajša Pekez, mother of the ten years old Tina, spoke about Tina’s murder and also about killings of other innocent children, the audience was so touched that it was not able to hide its tears.

Decembar 27, 2010
At the end of June 2010, the Senate of the University of Sarajevo issued the Decision on approval of the curriculum of the Interdisciplinary Master study HOLOCAUST AND GENOCIDE prepared by the Institute for the Research of Crimes against Humanity and International Law, University of Sarajevo. Along with its primary function of the scientific-research character and in accordance with the Law on high education of the Canton Sarajevo and the Decision of the Senate of the University of Sarajevo, the Institute expanded its activities on the education of the future genocide researchers, who will attend the postgraduate (master) study at the University of Sarajevo, which will be carried out by the Institute for the Research of Crimes against Humanity and International Law in the co-operation with other high education Institutions from the country and abroad.
The Interdisciplinary postgraduate study HOLOCAUST AND GENOCIDE will educate and train in scientific and research manner the current and future researchers of genocide and other forms of crimes against humanity and international law, because the practice has shown that the complexity of problems and the variety of the research subjects requires a specific study from the area of the social and humanistic sciences which will provide the students with the scientific-theoretical and methodological-methodic education, which are necessary for the empirical and scientific research of genocide and other forms of crimes against humanity and international law.
The compound of the scientific-theoretical education and scientific-research activity, which the Institute is able to provide due to its extraordinary possibilities and abundant research experience, represents the special quality of the study, which will, as we believe, attract significant attention of the great number of researchers from this area.
Everyone interested can apply for the studies – the candidates who completed their studies in accordance with the Bologna process or those who completed the four year undergraduate studies in accordance with the previous curriculum.
The practice in the field of the research of genocide and other forms of crimes against humanity and international law in Bosnia and Herzegovina and wider has shown an obvious lack of professionals – qualified and scientific-competent researchers with specific moral qualities due to the nature of the problem and character of the research subject.
After 18 years of work, the Institute, along with the scientific-research activity, which is basic and primary for this Institution, expands its activities towards the field of education at the postgraduate, and for the best students, also at the PhD level. The call is open for all candidates from Bosnia and Herzegovina, the region, Europe and all around the world. The courses will be taught in both, Bosnian and English language. The call for applications will be published in the public media, which will give details about the admission requirements.

March 12, 2010
American students from the Nova Southeastern University, together with professor Gary Gershman (Ph.D.), visited the Institite for Research of Crimes against Humanity and International Law on 12th of March, 2010. The director of this research institution, Prof. Ph.D. Smail Čekić and associates of the Institute familiarized the guests of the origins, development, results and plans of this academic establishment.

Of the things addressed in particular was the formation of the Institute in 1992, scientifically and systematically with an interdisciplinary approach, and that this institute has acquired, arranged, processed and analyzed numerous sources of various provenance, and in a systematic manner exhibited and demonstrated the results of this academic research to scientific, professional and wider audiences. In this context it was emphasized that the institute has successfully organized academic debates in the fora of scientific conferences, consultations, academic round tables, debates, seminars and such, work that has been made public within an enviable publishing activity. As two key aspects of the research activity of the institute, it has been established that a classic aggression has been perpetrated against the republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, that is, a crime against peace, and among other crimes also a genocide of Bosniaks.

The American students were particularly interested in the Serbian aggression upon Bosnia and Herzegovina: the preparations, plans and perpetration of the crime of genocide against Bosniaks, the causes of the dissolution of Yugoslavia, the responsibility of UN and the international community for the events in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995, the role of journalists in the public incitement to and negation of aggression, genocide, and such.

Prof. Ph.D. Smail Čekić and the partners of the institute replied that Serbia, starting with its great hegemonic project, prepared and committed aggression against the independent, internationally acknowledged state of Bosnia and Herzegovina, a member of the UN. A constitutional concept of the defense of Yugoslavia was developed, the territorial defense of Bosnia and Herzegovina was decreased and disarmed, the Yugoslavian People's Army was transformed into a great-Serbian army, an agreement over the division of Bosnia and Herzegovina was reached, an armed fifth column was established within Bosnia and Herzegovina, and so the positions for aggression and genocide upon the Bosniaks were created.

When it comes to the UN and the international community, the UN did not allow the use of the collective right to defense of Bosnia and Herzegovina: they put in place an embargo on weapons for Bosnia and Herzegovina, and did not intervene where the conditions for this existed.

It was agreed that cooperation between the Institute and this American university be established, especially regarding the realization of joint projects, the organization of academic gatherings, as well as lecture activities at these establishments.

The guests were given publications of the Institute, with the most significant research results of this scientific and academic institution.

You can view pictures of this event here.

Bijelo Polje, 14th of November 2009
On the 14th of November 2009, the Center for protection of human rights and tolerance Polimlje organized a tribune by the name of "85 YEARS SINCE THE GENOCIDE UPON BOSNIAKS IN THE ŠAHOVIĆI" in Bijelo Polje. The occasion for this tribune was the commemoration of 85 years having passed since the genocide upon Bosniaks in the Šahovići (Montenegro), where the night between 9th and 10th of November saw 600 Bosniaks massacred by armed Montenegrins: children, women, and adults alike.

Participating in the tribune were prominent scholars from Montenegro (Prof. PhD. Šerbo Rastoder, Prof. PhD. Ilija Radošević, Prof. Pero Radović and others) as well as associate professors from the Institute of Research of Crimes against Humanity and International Law of the Sarajevo University (Prof. PhD. Muhamed Šestanović, PhD. Bećir Macić).

According to the introductory speakers, the crime that took place in the Šahovići between the 9th and 10th of November 1924 presents one of the greatest peace-time crimes to take place in this locale. Several hundred people were killed in a pathology of hate and evil, sparked by the murder of Boška Bošković, a Montengrin Officer. A Jusuf Mehonjić was charged with the murder, despite not having been in the area at the time - the true perpetrators were Radoš and Drago Bulatović from Rovaca.

Those of the Muslim population that were not killed, fled to Pljevlja, Sarajevo, or Gornji Rahić (Brčko), where they settled permanently. Šahovići, where there are no Muslims today, was given the Serbian name of Tomaševo. Although the contemporary Yugoslavian state was one of law, this crime, nobody had to answer for. Until now, one could not write about the massacre of Šahovići (only one book exists on the subject: ZEMLJA BEZ PRAVDE, Land without Justice, by Milovan Đilas). It is therefore a must to research into all aspects of this event so that it may serve a reminder of this evil, and never happen again.

Representatives of the Institute, therefore, contributed to the work of the Tribune. Prof. PhD. Muhamed Šestanović spoke of the crime of forgetting and denying genocide and presented the work of the Institute, stressing that this scientific and scholarly institution has carried out a series of projects of scientific research, scholarly conferences, and published numerous works of value with significant documentation. All of this has contributed to the Institute being considered a respectable institution of science, one of the greatest in the Balkans and beyond. As a consequence it was stressed that, besides the genocide of the Šahovići, the 1809 genocide of Sjenica - where the rebels of Karađorđev massacred roughly 3000 Bosniaks - must also be researched.

PhD. Bećir Macić, associate professor of the Institute, presented the report "Šahovići 1924 - Bosnia 1992-1995: continuity of the crimes". He emphasized that crimes perpetrated against Bosniaks were, for a long time, a taboo topic, as was similarly the case with the 1924 crime in Šahovići. Only in the post-socialist period and with the proclamation of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina as an independent nation did this state of things undergo any significant change. The crime of Šahovići has found itself a significant place in the works of Bosnian-Herzegovian scholars (such as Prof. PhD. Mustafa Imamović, Prof. PhD. Smail Čekić, M.A. Muharem Omerdić, M.A. Mustafa Spahić and others) who place this crime within a continuity of crime in respect to the genocide upon Bosniaks, starting with the Great or Beckog War (1683-1699) all the way to the 1992-1995 genocide upon Bosniaks. The crimes that have taken place against Bosniaks on the territory of former Yugoslavia have to be integrally researched: the crime of Šahovići cannot be researched nor processed separately from such an approach.

The Prijepolje Medžlis has launched an initiative that this kind of meeting be organized in Prijepolje, Sjenica and at the University in Novom Pazar. The representatives of the Institute have negotiated further collaboration with the Center for the protection of human rights and tolerance Polimlje, a prospect accepted with satisfaction on both sides.

THE LONGEST SIEGE OF A CITY IN THE HISTORY
“SIEGE AND DEFENSE OF SARAJEVO 1992-1995”
(Group of authors, publisher: Institute for the Research of Crimes Against Humanity and International Law of the Sarajevo University, Sarajevo 2008; pp. 423)

Institute for the Research of Crimes Against Humanity and International Law published the book SIEGE AND DEFENSE OF SARAJEVO 1992-1995. These are the Conference proceedings from the Round table held on 23 November 2005. The authors are: Dr. Hajriz Bećirović, Dr. Omer Ibrahimagić, Dr. Nijaz Duraković, Dr. Mirko Pejanović, MA Muharem Kreso, MA Vahid Karavelić, Nihad Halilbegović, MA Faid Hećo, Kemal Ademović, Kadrija Škrijelj, MA Nedžad Ajnadžić, Salko Selimović, Dr. Mujo Slatina, Dr. Enver Demirović, Dr. Ismet Dizdarević, MA Smajo Halilović, Dr. Fatima Lačević, Mevlida Serdarević, Ajnija Omanić, Dr. Muhamed Šestanović, Snježana Mutapčić, Dr. Enver Imamović, Dr. Salih Fočo, Dr. Faris Gavrankapetanović, Gradimir Gojer, Dr. Franjo Topić, Mirsada Baljić, Ismail Smajlović, Namik Hodžić, Edah Bećirbegović, Vaso Radić, Dr. Arif Smajkić, Dr. Faruk Mekić, and Said Jamaković.

The promotion of the Conference proceedings under the title of SIEGE AND DEFENSE OF SARAJEVO 1992-1995 took place 12 November 2008 in the Sarajevo University Rectorate, and the promoters were the renowned and prominent University professors: Prof. Dr. Omer Ibrahimagić, Prof. Dr. Nijaz Duraković, Prof. Dr. Mirko Pejanović, and MA Vahid Karavelić.

Before giving the floor to the promoters, Meldijana Arnaut, assistant in the Institute, reminded of several relevant facts surrounding the siege of Sarajevo:

“As you are well aware of, one of the objectives of the aggression against Bosnia and Herzegovina was to capture Sarajevo. To capture Sarajevo in those circumstances meant the capitulation of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The siege of the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina commenced on 1 March 1992, when the Command of the Second Military Area of the Yugoslav Peoples Army in cooperation with the Serb Democratic Party placed the barricades in and around Sarajevo, that is, after the Referendum on Independence, and it ended on 19 March 1996 with the reintegration of the last parts of the occupied City.

The siege of Sarajevo lasted 1,479 days and it was the longest siege in the history of modern warfare. During the siege, about 329 shells a day were fired against the city, and the record was 3,777 shells of various calibers fired on 22 July 1993.

In the period 1992 – 1996, the residents of Sarajevo were exposed to numerous forms of crimes against humanity and international law of various characters, natures, and features. In addition to the crimes against civilians, many crimes were committed against civilian facilities under special protection of international law.

Pursuing the forbidden form of siege and warfare in Sarajevo, the coordinated long-lasting, widespread, and systematic campaign (military strategy) of shelling civilian areas, facilities, and civilians was conducted with the use of artillery, mortars, and infantry weapons. Shelling and the sniper fire against the city resulted in the murder or injuring of thousands of civilians, of both genders and different age, including children and the elderly. In this way, the civilian population was terrorized, and exposed to physical and mental suffering, due to which a large number of population lived in conditions that lead to its destruction, many of which died as well.

The civilians were intentionally shelled while they were dealing with their everyday lives or were in the civilian areas. They were shelled during the funerals, in ambulances, hospitals, trams and buses, in private vehicles, or on bicycles, at home, in gardens, in bread queues, queues for water, while collecting fire-woods, and in many other occasions. Even the children in schools were shelled, or while they were playing.

ICTY, in the case Milošević (IT-02-54) and also based on the empirical research of the Institute for the Research of Crimes Against Humanity and International Law of the Sarajevo University assessed the number of victims of the siege of Sarajevo. In reference with this, ICTY evaluated that “the total number of those who died in the territory of Sarajevo /parts of the six Sarajevo municipalities: Centar, Ilidža, Novi Grad, Novo Sarajevo, Stari Grad, and Vogošća – remark by Meldijana Arnaut/ in the period April 1992 to December 1995 was 18,889. That number included four categories of the dead: civilians who died in relation to the war (4,954), soldiers who died in relation to the war (4,548), civilians who died of a natural cause, and we believe that their deaths are not related to war (8,285) and a number of dead civilians whose death cannot be categorized as related to the war (1,102)”. Of 18,889 of “the total number of those who died” in the territory of the six aforementioned Sarajevo municipalities during the siege, ICTY evaluated “that there was a total of 9,502 direct victims of the siege (civilians and soldiers: 4,954 and 4,584)”, and it was emphasized that the number “was incomplete”.

Sarajevo, however, manage to survive and it still does live with its wounds and it faces with difficulties that lack of understanding by all those who do not understand the burden of siege. The pedestrians stop at the red markings on asphalt, next to the memorial boards with the wording On this place, on this day, this number of people got killed by the shell fired from ...

We are here today to remind ourselves of those difficult days of the siege, but the defense as well. We have the book SIEGE AND DEFENSE OF SARAJEVO 1992-1995 in front of us, Meldijana Arnaut said.

The first promoter of the book, Prof. Dr. Omer Ibrahimagić, stated that the book was a result of the several years long attempt by the Canton Sarajevo Ministry for War Veterans to systematically and legally define an important segment falling under its jurisdiction: 1. building and arranging the memorial center which will serve as a symbol and a lesson for future generations representing the resistance by the Sarajevo residents against the Serbian-Montenegrin aggression against Bosnia and Herzegovina and the siege of Sarajevo 1992-1995; and 2. building of the institutions capable for the respectful remembrance and nourishing the memories to the superhuman suffering, but also to all forms of opposing to the longest siege of a city in the history of warfare.

The project SIEGE AND DEFENSE OF SARAJEVO 1992-1995 contains ten subprojects. The book, which is in front of us, is the first one related to the implementation of the subproject Written word serving not to forget 1992-1995, Dr. Omer Ibrahimagić said. Ibrahimagić recommended the book to the teachers in the secondary schools and University professors, and their students.

The second promoter, Prof. Dr. Nijaz Duraković, pointed out that the book was good but also that it unfortunately came rather late given that this scientific round table took place in 2005. The book is depicting the cataclysms Sarajevo residents went through in 1,479 days of the siege and it again revives the same issues. We still today have to explain, primarily the national authorities that the classical aggression was conducted against BiH. Moreover, of course tell them who did it..., Duraković stated. In his presentation, he tackled other topics surrounding the capital of BiH as well. He criticized the role of international community, and statements like the one that Sarajevo is Tehran, making the lists of veterans of the previous war, status of the city and many others. Duraković pointed out the relevance of the publication of this book and commended the publisher for this work.

The third promoter, Prof Dr. Mirko Pejanović pointed out that the book is exceptionally written testimony about the longest siege in the history and underlined that the Serb forces conducted the aggression against Sarajevo. Keeping Sarajevo as long as possible under siege facilitated Karadžić to delay the peace resolution. Sarajevo, even in those difficult days, maintained its multiethnic composition, Pejanović pointed telling an unusual story of his neighbor Rizo Selmanagić in the settlement of Breka, who at the very beginning of war said that Karadžić already lost the war. In fact, Karadžić thought that after the first shelling, all the Serbs would leave Sarajevo, but – he was wrong. Many Serbs remained in the city and the prognosis by Selmanagić came to be true. Even Robert Owen acknowledged the multiethnic compositions of the city during one of his visits to Sarajevo under siege, when he met several prominent Sarajevo Serbs who went through the suffering of the siege as much as the rest of their neighbors Bosniacs and Croats.

The book has extraordinary scientific and historic relevance, the fourth promoter, General Vahid Karavelić, said. Four-year long siege of Sarajevo conducted by the eastern aggressor in coordination with the BiH collaborationists (VRS/SRK) had for its objective to firstly exert the psychological pressure and later on to militarily defeat the city of Sarajevo and thus force the political and military leadership of the state to sing the capitulation and accept that BiH continues its living within great Serbia. The defense of Sarajevo by its defenders, patriotic forces, Territorial Defense units, Army of the RBiH, Ministry of the Interior units, and the 1st Corps as the principal holder of that defense had its biggest possible strategic relevance for the defense of BiH, because without the defense of the city of Sarajevo, the state of BiH would not be defended. In other words, had Sarajevo been occupied, the state of BiH would collapse, Karavelić stated.

INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE JUDGMENT
THE APPLICATION OF BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA VS. SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO
26 February 2007

The world has celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Convention on prevention and punishment of the crime of genocide, which falls into the category of the most important international-legal documents of the human civilization, which is the result of the experience of the international community learned from the Holocaust and genocide committed during the WW2.

Bosnia and Herzegovina has unfortunately been the multiple historical testimony that the XX century is – the century of genocide. It was marked by the monstrous inhuman tendency to exterminate the entire national, ethnic, racial, or religious groups as such, and to prevent their biological, cultural, social, and ecological survival.

The Application which was filed in 1993 by the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina against Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) on the ground of genocide before the International Court of Justice was the first test for finding the accountability and culpability for the participation of the states in the commission of genocide, in accordance with the Convention on prevention and punishment of the crime of genocide. The Judgment of 26 February 2007 initiated, outside and inside Bosnia and Herzegovina an avalanche of academic, social, and political commentaries, discussions, and polemics. Following the extensive academic discussion and team work, the Institute has recently published the translation of the Judgment in the Bosnian language, along with the individual opinions of the Judges of the International Court of Justice. Taking this opportunity, on 24 December 2008, the Institute organized in the Rectorate of the Sarajevo University the discussion in which many renowned and respected scholars and university professors participated. They were: Prof. Dr. Kasim Trnka, Prof. Dr. Omer Ibrahimagić, Prof. Dr. Ćazim Sadiković, Prof. Dr. Samir Arnautović, Prof. Dr. Zijad Hasić, Prof. Dr. Abedin Bikić, Prof. Dr. Ismet Dizdarević, and Prof. Dr. Smail Čekić.